How to Make A Mojito Mocktail
In the summer, I am always looking for drinks that are cold and refreshing.
One of my favorites are Mojitos (traditionally a Cuban drink made from rum, lime, mint and cane sugar.)
However, since I’m often looking for a non-alcoholic drink that still feels like summer, I came up with this virgin Mojito recipe.
It’s easy to make and is very refreshing on a hot day!
Ingredients
Here’s your shopping:
- Limes – Juicing fresh limes tastes best, but pre-made lime juice can work in a pinch
- Fresh mint – Spearmint gives the strongest mint flavor. If you use other varieties, you may need to use more leaves to get the taste you are going for.
- Honey – you can also use a traditional simple syrup, but I actually like the taste of the honey and I usually have it in the cupboard
- Sparkling water – I use club soda, but any type of sparkling water would work. (Not tonic water since it has a more bitter flavor)
- Ice
Supplies
- (optional) juicer – for juicing the lemons
- measuring spoon
- muddler* – this is a special drink making tool that is specially made for crushing leaves to bring out the flavor. If you don’t have one (and don’t want to buy one), you can use the back of a spoon to do the same thing. It doesn’t work quite as well, but sometimes you have to make do 🙂
- tall glass
How to make a virgin mojito
The trick to making a good Mojito is the muddling.
Start by putting the honey (or simple syrup), lime juice and mint leaves in a tall glass.
Then get out your muddler and push down on the leaves a few times until they are bruised (they should turn a darker green color).
Next, throw in a couple of slices of lime and repeat the muddling process with the limes.
Add some ice and fill the glass with sparkling water.
And you’re ready to enjoy!
Other non-alcoholic drinks you might like
Or browse all of our non-alcoholic drink recipes.
Mojito Mocktail
Ingredients
- 7 or 8 mint leaves
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- ice
- club soda
Equipment
- 1 Highball glass
- 1 muddler or wooden spoon
- measuring spoons
Instructions
- Add the mint leaves, honey and lime juice to a tall glass.
- Use a muddler or wooden spoon to gently crush the mint leaves while you mix the ingredients.
- Add a couple of slices of lime into the mix and muddle them as well.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Fill the glass with club soda.
- Garnish with a lime slice and a couple of mint leaves.
Notes
- Note that this drink is not a sweet one. If you want a sweeter version, you can try using sprite instead of club soda, or substitute the honey for simple syrup.
- I actually prefer honey than sugar in this mocktail version (it seems to blend with the mint well). But you can use a sugar-based simple syrup if you prefer.
- To get the most mint flavor, use Spearmint or Mojito Mint (Mentha x villosa). If you are using standard garden mint, you will need to add more leaves to get the same taste.
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions on our Mojito Mocktail recipe? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on July 14, 2016 but was updated with new content on April 6, 2024.