Classic and Peach Mojitos

On a hot day and the start to a long weekend, I thought it was the perfect time to share a drink recipe!

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to the gorgeous country of Cuba twice, and I cannot wait for the chance to go back again. While Cuban resorts aren’t exactly known for the quality of their food, the drinks are another story, especially drinks made with rum! I usually stick to girly frozen drinks when I’m there, like pina coladas, strawberry daiquiris, and blue hawaiis, because it’s impossible to make them as well at home. But on a scorching hot day at the beach, nothing quite compares to the traditional Cuban drink, the mojito.

I had never tried making a mojito at home because I assumed I couldn’t make it taste as good as the real thing from Cuba. But the other week I had some mint to use up and my thoughts wandered back to those refreshing summer drinks. I looked up some mojito recipes and realized they were actually quite easy to make, and with half a bottle of Cuban rum from my last trip still sitting in my cupboard, I had no reason not to make one!

I chose a recipe that most resembled the way I remembered mojitos being made, though I used regular sugar instead of powdered sugar because that seemed a bit strange to me. I imagine caster sugar would have been ideal because it would have dissolved best, but mine still dissolved perfectly fine. I put 2 ounces of rum in each drink, which was a bit strong, but I think these are meant to be slipped slowly anyway, preferably while sitting outside with a good company or a good book :) Of course the amount of rum (along with all the other ingredients) can be adjusted to taste. I didn’t have a muddler or a highball glass, but the back of a spoon and a regular old glass seemed to work just fine! The mojito was the perfect combination of sweet (from the sugar), sour (from the lime), and refreshing (from the mint and water).

Mojitos

Adapted from Taste of Cuba

Serves 2

Ingredients:

8-10 mint leaves

Juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons sugar

4 oz white rum

4 oz club soda

Extra mint and lime wedges for garnishing

Directions:

In each glass: Place 4-5 mint leaves in the bottom of the glass, along with the juice of half a lime and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Muddle with the back of a spoon by pressing down and twisting to release the oils in the mint (you're not trying to break the mint apart) . Add ice to the top of the glass. Pour in 2 oz rum, followed by 2 oz club soda (or enough to fill the glass). Garnish with additional mint leaves or lime wedges, if desired.

The next week I had some peaches to use up and started thinking about the possibility of a flavoured mojito. I’d already made a lot of peach dishes this season, but had yet to use them in a drink. I looked up some recipes for peach mojitos but none of them quite matched what I was looking for so I ended up just adapting the same recipe from above by adding some puréed peaches. The result had just a mild peach flavour that wasn’t too sweet, so it still retained the classic mojito taste. The amount of sweetness may depend on how ripe your peach is, so add more sugar if you want it to be sweeter.

I can’t decide which one I liked better – they were both so good!

Peach Mojitos

Serves 2

Ingredients:

8-10 mint leaves

Juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons sugar

1 ripe peach

4 oz rum

4 oz club soda

Extra peach slices and lime wedges for garnishing

Directions:

Peel and chop the peach, then puree in a food processor or blender. Strain, if desired (I didn’t bother).

In each glass, place 4-5 mint leaves in the bottom of the glass, along with the juice of half a lime and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Muddle with the back of a spoon. Add ice to the top of the glass. Pour in 1/4 cup peach puree, 2 oz rum, and 2 oz club soda (or enough soda to fill the glass). 

Garnish with additional peach slices, lime wedges, and mint leaves, if desired.