How not to fumble a mojito

These aren’t instructions, but life guidance. I’ve been to different bars, and apparently, it is very easy to fumble a mojito. Yet how something so simple can be ruined so easily, I don’t know. But I do know how not to fumble it.

What do I expect from a mojito? A strong mint and sweet flavor, followed by the rum, which has its unique tone, and a refreshing aftertaste.

This is one of the most common mistakes with a mojito: not using enough mint. This is a cocktail where one of its main characteristics is the mint, so you need to add about a handful of mint. Maybe I exaggerate a bit, but you just need to understand that you need a lot of mint. And you need to press it along with half a lime and an ounce and a half of simple syrup. I’ve seen bartenders confusing pressing with muddling, but it is not the same. When you press it, you only muddle enough to squeeze the fruit in the shaker or glass. To muddle is to completely destroy the contents.

For the mojito in this picture, I used two ounces of dark rum. This is a personal preference. I choose dark rum because it is smoother and it often has better quality. Plus, white rum brings bad memories. But I would say Bacardi is a traditional option, and it is the better white rum out there.

Shake it and pour the contents into a tall glass; do not strain. It used to be strained, but it happens that the aesthetic that characterizes the mojito is the messiness. As a drink, it needs to make you feel like you’re on the beach, laying down with the sun hitting your face and the sound of the waves singing melodies to your ears.

Now you have half a glass still empty, topped with some soda water and Sprite. Soda water: long splash. Sprite: long splash. Then garnish it with a mint leaf.

It is a pretty simple drink. I have had the experience where the drink only tastes like sugar or is too limy. For that reason, it is important to squeeze the lime instead of using artificial or concentrated lime juice, which is actually too strong. It is also important to measure the amount of simple syrup you’re using, or sugar cubes. I’ve never made this drink with sugar cubes, but it is important not to overuse them either, because it shouldn’t be a cocktail characterized by its sweetness, but instead by its mint flavor. If you want to abuse something, do it with mint. I’ve never tasted a mojito and thought, “This tastes like there’s too much mint in it.”