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Havana, Cuba · Cuban

Mojito (Cuban Rum, Lime & Mint Highball)

Cuba's bright, minty rum cooler — white rum, fresh lime, sugar, mint and soda. How to muddle mint without making it bitter, and the right way to build a tall, refreshing mojito.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published June 21, 2026

A tall mojito packed with crushed ice and fresh mint sprigs, lime wedges and a straw, beads of condensation on the glass in bright light.

The mojito is Havana in a glass — a tall, mint-and-lime rum cooler with roots in 19th-century Cuba and a permanent home at the city's bars. Built around white rum, fresh lime, sugar, mint and soda water, it's the great warm-weather highball: bright, herbal and endlessly refreshing.

Yield
Makes 1
Prep
6 min
Cook
0 min
Total
About 6 min
Difficulty
Easy

The mojito is Havana in a tall glass — white rum, fresh lime, sugar, mint and soda, built into the great warm-weather highball. Bright, herbal and endlessly refreshing, it lives or dies on how you treat the mint.

Press the mint, don’t grind it

Give the leaves a gentle press with the sugar and lime — just enough to bruise them and release the fragrant oils. Grind them hard and you tear the leaf and pull out bitter chlorophyll. You’re waking the mint up, not crushing it.

Build it tall and cold

Add the rum, fill the glass with crushed or cubed ice, and top with soda water. Stir gently from the bottom to lift the sugar and mint through the drink.

Finish with aroma

Slap a mint sprig between your palms to release its scent and tuck it in by the straw, so you smell mint with every sip. Make it to order — soda goes flat and muddled mint turns bitter on standing. Prefer it alcohol-free? See the virgin mojito, or the full Drinks guide.

Ingredients

Makes
1
  • 8–10 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig to garnish Spearmint is the classic. Use the leaves and tender tops; thick stems are bitter.
  • 25 ml (0.75 oz) fresh lime juice (about half a lime)
  • 2 tsp white sugar (or 15 ml simple syrup)
  • 60 ml (2 oz) white rum
  • to top soda water (club soda)
  • crushed or cubed ice

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. In a tall glass, gently press the mint leaves with the sugar and lime juice — a light push, not a grind.

    Why: Muddling mint hard tears it and releases bitter chlorophyll; a gentle press bruises it just enough to release the fragrant oils.

  2. Add the rum and fill the glass with crushed or cubed ice.

    Why: Plenty of ice keeps a tall highball cold and properly diluted as you sip; crushed ice chills fastest and is traditional.

  3. Top with soda water and stir gently from the bottom to lift the mint. Garnish with a mint sprig (slap it first to release its aroma).

    Why: Stirring from the bottom distributes the sugar and mint evenly; slapping the garnish sprig releases its scent so you smell mint with every sip.

A quick, anonymous tap — no review needed.

Variations

  • Virgin mojito

    Leave out the rum and add a splash more lime and soda for a non-alcoholic mojito — see our dedicated recipe.

  • Berry

    Muddle a few raspberries or strawberries with the mint for a fruity, summer mojito.

  • Coconut

    Use a coconut rum or add a splash of coconut water for a tropical twist.

Serving & Storage

Serve tall over crushed ice with a fat mint sprig and a straw. It's a slow sipper for hot afternoons — refreshing, herbal and not too strong.

Pairs with: Ceviche, Plantain chips, Grilled shrimp, Cuban sandwich.

Storage: Build to order — soda goes flat and muddled mint turns bitter on standing. You can pre-mix the rum, lime and sugar, then muddle fresh mint and top with soda when serving.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 cocktail (~240 ml))

Calories
170
Protein
0 g
Carbs
12 g
Fat
0 g
Fiber
0 g
Sugar
10 g
Sodium
15 mg

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I muddle mint without it going bitter?

Press gently — just enough to bruise the leaves and release their oils. Grinding mint hard tears the leaf and releases bitter compounds. Think of it as waking the mint up, not crushing it.

Sugar or simple syrup?

Either works. Granulated sugar helps abrade the mint as you press and is traditional; simple syrup dissolves instantly and is more consistent. If using syrup, you may not need to muddle as long.

Cubed or crushed ice?

Crushed ice is classic and chills fastest, but dilutes quicker too. Cubed ice keeps the drink colder for longer with less dilution. Both are fine — just fill the glass fully either way.

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Further reading