No mint leaves? Here’s how to make a mojito without mint. You can also turn this recipe into a mojito mocktail, or add any number of fruit variations to change it up!
July 11th is National Mojito Day. When we were talking about what to create for our Instagram post, I found out that Chrissy had never tried a mojito, Naomi wanted to work on mocktail, and I had no fresh mint in the house. So we set out to come up with some variations on the classic.
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Classic Mojito Recipe
A classic mojito is made with 1.5 ounces of white rum, 1 ounce of lime juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup (or 2 teaspoons granulated sugar), and 4-6 fresh mint leaves. Muddle the ingredients in a tall glass, then add ice, top with club soda, and give it a good stir.
You can also make a mojito in a cocktail shaker. I prefer to make most of my drinks in a shaker and strain them. I like a more even mix, a slightly frothy texture, and a clean drinking experience with no pieces of herbs or fruit. For the mojito, muddle the ingredients and give it a quick shake with a little ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass and top with club soda.
What if you don’t have fresh mint, but you’re craving a refreshing rum and lime drink? Don’t worry, there’s more than one way to make a mojito.
How to Make a Mojito Without Mint
No mint leaves? Try substituting basil, rosemary, cilantro, or jalapeno. You could also use a mint-flavored liqueur, mint bitters, or even a peppermint tea bag. Avoid mint extract or essential oil – they are both too concentrated and strong. They’ll overpower the drink and make it taste artificial.
To make a mojito without mint leaves, you basically follow the classic mojito recipe, but muddle in a different herb or fruit – or both! Here are few ideas we recommend.
Blueberry Basil Skinny Mojito Recipe
Chrissy had basil growing, so she decided her first mojito would be this beautiful Blueberry Basil Skinny Mojito!
If you’re skeptical about basil in a drink, I get it. I was too. But I highly recommend you try it because it’s absolutely delicious.
- 1.5 oz white rum
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 Stevia packet
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 2 spoonfuls of frozen blueberries
- plain seltzer / club soda
Muddle the ingredients (minus the seltzer), give it a quick shake or stir, then pour over ice. Top with plain seltzer / club soda.
You can use just about any fruit in place of blueberries in this recipe. Or swap the basil for another herb. There are so many options!
Jalapeno Mojito Recipe
I wasn’t going to drink today. But then I decided to make risotto for dinner. When I’m standing around the kitchen cooking for a long time, I crave a drink. Also, my husband recently made basil-infused ice cubes that I wanted to try out.
I like to be creative and take risks. I had some jalapeno simple syrup I needed to use up and I loooove my Mezcal Jalapeno Margaritas. So why not apply that idea to a mojito?
- 1.5 oz white rum
- 1 lime, cut into quarters
- 1/2 oz jalapeno simple syrup
- 2 basil-infused ice cubes (see below)
- club soda
Combine the simple syrup and 3 of the lime quarters in a cocktail shaker. Muddle well to release the lime juice. Add rum and basil ice cubes and shake for 20-30 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled glass and top with club soda. Garnish with the final lime wedge and a basil leaf.
Making herb-infused ice cubes is easy! My husband put about a cup of fresh basil leaves in a large mason jar with water and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Then we strained it into ice cube trays. The flavor is pretty strong when you use them in a drink, so depending on the intensity I’m after, I will shake a drink with the ice cubes instead of putting them directly into my cocktail.
Iced Tea Mojito Recipe
This recipe uses mint tea in place of the mint leaves. Again, it’s super flexible in that you can use any kind of tea you like. You can use Stevia or simple syrup. And you can even muddle in any fruit or herb if you desire!
- 1.5 oz white rum
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1/2 oz simple syrup (or one packet Stevia)
- 1/2 cup strongly brewed mint tea, cooled
- plain seltzer / club soda
How to Make a Mojito Mocktail
Naomi was the only one of us that had mint leaves on hand. So she made a mojito mocktail.
To make this mocktail, you’ll need:
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 10-15 mint leaves
- lime seltzer
In a tall glass, muddle the mint leaves in the lime juice, then add the simple syrup. Fill the glass with ice, top with lime seltzer, and stir.
This mojito mocktail is so refreshing. You could add almost any fruit to it and it would be delicious.
