This Strawberry Mojito is the perfect summertime take on a classic! When strawberries are at their peak, their sweetness (and pretty color!) offers a delicious twist on the traditional mojito.
Few drinks are as refreshing on a hot summer day as a good mojito. Sugar, Mint, Rum, Lime– it’s heaven in a glass.
The mojito is already a perfect drink in practically every way, so what could possibly improve it? A little seasonal fruit, like strawberries! When they’re at their peak in early summer, strawberries are a great accompaniment to the sweet, sour, and minty flavor of a mojito.
I use Bacardi, but any white rum will do. White rum (also called silver or light rum) is clear like vodka and has a subtle, sweet flavor. It’s found in many classic rum cocktails, like the pina colada, the daiquiri, and of course the mojito. Because you’re mixing rum with other ingredients, an ultra-premium rum isn’t necessary.
The right tools to make a mojito
I recommend the following tools if you want to make a mojito. Of course you can also do without them, but they make the work much easier. (They are also very useful for making other cocktails!)
First a muddler. Pestle, which can be made of wood, metal, or rubber, look like tiny meat tenderizers on a stick. Using a pestle to crush or pulverize fruits and herbs brings out their flavor and aroma.
You can use the back of a spoon to get the job done, but when it comes to cocktails like mojitos, mint juleps, or a whiskey smash, a muddler really is best.
Second, a citrus press. I juice a lot of citrus when making cocktails and I absolutely swear by a portable citrus juicer like this. (In case you didn’t know, this is how to properly juice a lemon or lime.) There are other ways to juice limes, including with your hands, but I’ve found this to be the quickest and most efficient.
Last but not least, a canvas ice pack. The most important part of a mojito isn’t the rum, the lime, or even the mint. It’s the ice. Without crushed ice, a mojito is not a mojito. Trouble is, unless you can afford a $400 silica ice maker or your fridge helpfully generates it for you, making crushed ice is a bit of a pain.
The best way I’ve found to do this is with a canvas ice pack. You put the ice in and then beat the tar out with a rolling pin. (You can also use an ice hammer, but I find a rolling pin works just as well.) Voila – crushed ice!
More summer-ready cocktails
- Mojito with mint and lime
- Sparkling strawberry sangria
- Mixed berry and red wine sangria
- Blender pina colada
- Long Island Iced Tea
Strawberry Mojito
I like to use a simple turbinado sugar syrup in my mojitos as it brings out the rum’s molasses flavors, but plain white sugar works too.
ingredients
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2 to 4 strawberriespeeled and sliced (4 for small berries, 3 for medium berries, 2 for really massive berries)
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8th mint leaves
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1/2 ounce simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water; I prefer turbinado sugar)
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3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
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2 ounces white rum
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1 ounce sparkling water
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crushed Ice
method
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Puree strawberries:
Place the strawberries, mint, and simple syrup in the bottom of a glass and mix until strawberries are mashed and juicy. If you don’t have a pestle, use your hands to crumble the mint a little before dropping it into the jar, then mash with the back of a spoon to release the flavor.
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Add the rest of the ingredients:
Top the strawberries and mint with crushed ice, then add the lime juice and rum.
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stir:
Use a bar spoon or teaspoon to stir the drink. Don’t stir too hard or the mint will come to the surface!
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Top up with mineral water:
Fill the rest of the glass with more crushed ice, then top up with sparkling water.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 183 | calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 14g | carbohydrates |
| 1g | protein |
