Take Cuba’s finest and grant it a citrus kiss to make an Orange Mojito—the latest in a long line of scurvy-fighting cocktails.
You don’t know how many times a day I think to myself, You know what a mojito needs? Orange. Heck, I’m thinking it right now. Of course, that’s more because I just wrote it. Moving on…
I think about mojitos about as often as I think about Cuba, which is a lot. That’s where mojitos came from. Allegedly, they were served to Sir Francis Drake and his seamen to combat scurvy. That this mix of aguardiente de caña (sugarcane alcohol,) lime juice, sugarcane juice, and mint was also delicious ensured those seamen continued to drink them long after they were deemed fighting fit. Because of Drake, the drink was called El Draque. Quite the honor.
The drink made it to America during Prohibition. At the time U.S. travelers would leave the alcohol restrictions behind and hightail it to Cuba where they would drink one mojito after another. They brought back the recipe as a souvenir. Rum giant Bacardi took it from there, making the mojito the focus of their ad campaigns of the 1940s and ’50s. So we in the modern day have disease, law dodgers, and capitalism to thank for the mojito.
What Can I Use to Make This Sweeter?
The direct route is to use a sugar rim. Just run an orange wedge around the edge of the glass then dip it in sugar. Problem solved! Of course, if you want something more subtle and less… granular? you can create a simple syrup, which still involves the white stuff. Mix equal parts sugar and water and heat it on the stove, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once it cools, add the syrup to the mojito. If you’ve overdone it, balance it out with a squirt of lime juice.
What is the Best Rum to Use in an Orange Mojito?
Chances are, you’re opting for an orange mojito because you want to taste the orange, less so the rum. So you’re best choosing a rum with a mild taste, like a light, silver rum. By going this route, your orange flavor won’t get muddled with the caramel notes of darker varieties. It also won’t muddle the orange color, which won’t look very orangey when mixed with a rum other than silver. If you want to try something different, though, and don’t care about your drink’s appearance, I recommend starting with an amber rum like Mount Gay or Appleton Estate. If you warm to them (and they warm to you), you can check out even darker fare.
Ingredients
- 1/2 orange cut into small pieces
- 10 fresh mint leaves
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 oz. white rum
- 4 oz. club soda
- ice
Instructions
- Place the orange pieces, mint leaves, and sugar in a sturdy glass. Muddle these ingredients together to release the juices of the orange and the essence of the mint.
- Pour a shot of white rum over your muddled mixture.
- Add ice to the glass until it’s about three-quarters full, then top the drink off with club soda. Give it a stir and enjoy.
Nutrition
FAQs & Tips
Mojitos are traditionally served in a Collins glass, which is tall and slender with rounded edges. If you don’t have one, though, just use a highball. As for garnish, the recipe calls for mint leaves and an orange slice, which match the ingredients in the actual cocktail.
As there is club soda in this cocktail, you pretty much have a window of only a few hours to drink it at its best. So store it in the fridge, but not too deeply inside that fridge. When you take it out, you may still want to give it a shot of more club soda as a refresher.
There are about 71 calories, most of which is down to the rum. If you go hunting, you should be able to find lighter fare, though the difference may be negligible.
Yes! In fact, we have the recipe for a Frozen Mojito. Just make sure you have a good blender and lots of ice at the ready or you will be sorely disappointed once you click through to the link.
There is the non-alcoholic addition and the alcoholic addition. For the first, simply add an ounce of fresh orange juice (make sure it’s freshly squeezed, you’ll notice the difference in taste). For an alcoholic addition, turn to an orange-flavored liqueur, like triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier.
Orange Mojito Variations
You’re in luck! T&T has made maaaaany mojitos over the years, er… months. Let’s start with the Virgin Orange Mojito, which involves removing the rum and perhaps adding orange juice or more club soda. If you prefer a red cocktail, check out our Strawberry Mojito. And if you like your mojitos in bulk, this recipe for a Mojito pitcher will take the math out of scaling your cocktail. Last, if rum isn’t your thing, here’s a recipe for a Vodka Mojito, which replaces rum with gin! (Just kidding.)
Leave a Comment