Havana, Cuba, is the birthplace of the Mojito but, no matter whether you are at a cocktail bar in London with friends or lounging on a beach somewhere sunny we can guarantee that many people’s go-to drink is a mojito. The perfect combination of sweetness and citrus with the added hint of mint has made the mojito an incredible summer cocktail.
Traditionally, a mojito is a drink that consists of just five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint. Forget white rum, once you have tried a mojito with gin there really is no turning back. Follow these steps to create the perfect gin mojito, you can thank us later.
Choose your gin wisely
An obvious swap for white rum would be a London dry gin such as Tanqueray or Gordons, this will ensure that no flavour is taken away from the mint and still giving the familiar bite of gin. However, you may be surprised to hear that it isn’t uncommon for people to swap their rum for a flavoured gin and we have seen recipes that use lemon gin or sloe gin. These add another fruity aspect to the mojito.
Muddle the ingredients together
Once you have chosen your gin you can go ahead and start to make your mojito. The first step is to muddle together the mint with the lime wedges, lime juice and sugar in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. This step is a fun, hands-on technique designed to release the ingredients’ flavours. You want to ensure you have got the most out of the ingredients without taking it too far, you know you’ve mixed too much when your drink looks more like a green juice than a cocktail.
Crush your ice
Now you have the main ingredients mixed, it is time to add your gin and ice. Ice is almost as important as the gin in this mojito and you should always ensure that your drink is cold to touch, not just to taste. To get this, never skimp out on the ice and opt for crushed rather than big cubes. Once you have added the gin and ice it is time to shake, this is the part that makes everyone feel like a bartender.
Decide on a glass
We are going to be controversial here, many people choose to serve a mojito in a tall highball glass, however, this isn’t a standard mojito. After all, we are using gin and what do you serve gin in? A copa gin glass. We personally love the way a mojito looks in this glass and will always choose a big fishbowl gin glass over a highball glass.
Pick your mixer
The cocktail is almost finished, you just need to top it with your mixer. As well as having a range of gins to choose from you can also mix up the final ingredient for your mojito. As we mentioned, traditionally you make a mojito with soda water, however, it is no secret that gin pairs perfectly with tonic water so this is a good swap to make. People also choose to use lemonade to make the drink even sweeter.
About Vemacity
Now you have topped your mojito with the mixer of your choice you can sit back and enjoy your, soon to be, new favourite drink in your large balloon glass full of ice and garnish. There really is nothing better than a mojito, especially when it is warm outside. Even if it isn’t, show off your new bartender skills next time you have your friends around, we are sure that they will love it too.
If you don’t have the right equipment to make this incredible drink then we know the website you need, Vemacity can provide you with all of the basics. You can purchase a high-quality gin glass set in the UK that will not only supply you with two beautiful gin glasses but also a double-sided jigger and cocktail spoon. With these 3 items, you can easily make your mojito, the only extra item you may need is a cocktail shaker but this is completely optional. We hope you love your first-ever gin mojito as much as we did.