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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{short description|Traditional Cuban punch cocktail}}
{{about|the beverage}}
{{Infobox drink
| name        = Mojito
| image       = 15-09-26-RalfR-WLC-0072.jpg   
| type        = [[List of cocktails|Cocktail]]
| base        = [[Rum]]
| ingredients ={{plainlist|* 45 ml [[white rum]]
* 20 ml fresh [[lime juice]]
* 6 sprigs of [[Mentha|mint]]
* 2 teaspoons white cane sugar (or 20 ml of [[sugar syrup]])
* Soda water}}
| served      = [[On the rocks]]: poured over ice
| garnish     = sprigs of mint or slice of lime
| prep        = Mix mint sprigs with sugar and lime juice. Add splash of soda water and fill the glass with ice. Pour the rum and top with soda water. Light stir to involve all ingredients.
| drinkware   = [[Collins glass]]
}}

'''Mojito''' ({{IPAc-en|m|oʊ|ˈ|h|iː|t|oʊ}}; {{IPA|es|moˈxito|lang}}) is a traditional [[Cuba|Cuban]] punch. The [[cocktail]] often consists of five ingredients: [[Light rum|white rum]], sugar (traditionally [[sugar cane]] juice), [[lime juice]], [[Carbonated water|soda water]], and [[Mentha|mint]].<ref name="ingredients">{{cite web|url=http://www.tasteofcuba.com/mojito.html|title=Traditional Mojito recipe from Cuba|publisher=Tasteofcuba.com|access-date=2011-09-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904041701/http://www.tasteofcuba.com/mojito.html|archive-date=2011-09-04}}</ref><ref name="about">{{cite web |author1=Colleen Graham |author2=About.com Guide |url=http://cocktails.about.com/od/atozcocktailrecipes/r/mjto_cktl.htm |title=About.com Mojito |publisher=Cocktails. about.com |date=11 June 2011 |access-date=2011-09-01 |archive-date=8 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808142629/http://cocktails.about.com/od/atozcocktailrecipes/r/mjto_cktl.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its combination of sweetness, [[citrus]], and herbaceous mint flavors is intended to complement the rum, and has made the mojito a popular summer drink.<ref name="prweb">{{cite web |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/06/prweb990804.htm |title=Summer Cocktail News: Mojitos Go Fruity |publisher=Prweb.com |date=4 June 2008 |access-date=2011-09-01 |archive-date=23 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823183533/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/06/prweb990804.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=latimes>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-12-cl-33266-story.html |title=Shake It Up, Baby: Cuban Cocktail Is Making a Splash |last=Fernandez |first=Maria Elena |work=Los Angeles Times |date=12 August 2001 |access-date=16 May 2017 |archive-date=16 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516115034/http://articles.latimes.com/2001/aug/12/news/cl-33266 |url-status=live }}</ref>

When preparing a mojito, fresh lime juice is added to sugar (or to [[simple syrup]]) and mint leaves. The mixture is then gently mashed with a [[muddler]]. The mint leaves should only be bruised to release the essential oils and should not be shredded.<ref name="wb">{{cite web |author=Fumi |url=http://www.wasabibratwurst.com/mojito-recipe/ |title=How to Muddle a Mojito |publisher=Wasabibratwurst.com |access-date=2011-09-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811202518/http://www.wasabibratwurst.com/mojito-recipe/ |archive-date=2011-08-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Then rum is added and the mixture is briefly stirred to dissolve the sugar and to lift the mint leaves up from the bottom for better presentation. Finally, the drink is topped with crushed ice and sparkling soda water. Mint sprigs or lime wedges are used to garnish the glass.

In Cuba, the mint used to make mojito is most commonly ''[[Mentha × villosa]]'' (called {{lang|es|yerba buena}} or {{lang|es|hierbabuena}} in Cuba) which has a light minty-citrus aroma, but outside of Cuba [[spearmint]], which has a stronger mint aroma, is often used.<ref>[https://cookmundo.com/mojito/ "Mojito" ''Cookmundo.com''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202220508/https://cookmundo.com/mojito/ |date=2 February 2023 }}(accessed Nov. 29, 2022)</ref>

==History==
[[Havana]], [[Cuba]], is the birthplace of the mojito,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liquor.com/articles/bacardi-mojito-history/|title=Explore the Mojito's Captivating and Delectable History|last=Staff|first=Liquor com|website=Liquor.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-08|archive-date=23 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823123733/https://www.liquor.com/articles/bacardi-mojito-history/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tastecocktails.com/the-mojitos-kit-august-2015/|title=The History of the Mojito|date=26 July 2015|website=TASTE cocktails|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-08|archive-date=20 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920064522/https://tastecocktails.com/the-mojitos-kit-august-2015/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/201976/history-of-the-mojito/|title=The (Hotly Debated) History Behind the Mojito|last=Chowhound|website=Chowhound|language=en|access-date=2020-01-08|archive-date=22 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222085902/https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/201976/history-of-the-mojito/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/429/cocktails/mojito-cocktail|title=Mojito Cocktail|website=diffordsguide.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-08|archive-date=28 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928090535/https://www.diffordsguide.com/encyclopedia/429/cocktails/mojito-cocktail|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Tres Famosos Cocteles Celebran Su Día |url=http://www.havana-club.cu/blog/196/ron-para-cocktail-mojito-cubano |publisher=Havana Club |access-date=11 July 2020 |archive-date=11 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711193324/http://www.havana-club.cu/blog/196/ron-para-cocktail-mojito-cubano |url-status=dead }}</ref> although its exact origin is a subject of debate. It was known that the native people had remedies for various tropical illnesses, so a small boarding party went ashore on Cuba and came back with ingredients for an effective medicine. The ingredients were ''[[aguardiente]] de caña'' (translated as "burning water", a crude form of [[rum]] made from sugar cane) mixed with local tropical ingredients: lime, sugarcane juice, and mint.<ref>{{cite book |last=Burkhart |first=Jeff |year=2012 |title=Twenty Years Behind Bars: the spirited adventures of a real bartender |edition=1st |publisher=PhotoCine Media |isbn=9780985500115}}</ref> Lime juice on its own would have significantly prevented scurvy and dysentery,<ref>{{cite web|last=Maratos|first=David|title=How The El Draque Cocktail May Have Helped Britannia Rule The Waves|date=7 July 2010|url=http://goarticles.com/article/How-The-El-Draque-Cocktail-May-Have-Helped-Britannia-Rule-The-Waves/3077001/|work=GoArticles|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304050107/http://goarticles.com/article/How-The-El-Draque-Cocktail-May-Have-Helped-Britannia-Rule-The-Waves/3077001/|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Maratos|first=David|url=http://articleworld.drupalgardens.com/content/1st-cocktail-invented-1586-was-medicinal-crude-rum-mix-article-34|title=The 1st Cocktail, Invented 1586 Was A Medicinal Crude Rum Mix (Article 34)|date=16 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928055922/http://articleworld.drupalgardens.com/content/1st-cocktail-invented-1586-was-medicinal-crude-rum-mix-article-34|archive-date=28 September 2012|access-date=27 April 2013}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> and [[tafia]]/rum was soon added as it became widely available to the British (ca. 1650). Mint, lime and sugar were also helpful in hiding the harsh taste of this spirit. Another theory is that it was invented by [[Sir Francis Drake]].  The "El Draque" cocktail was prepared with brandy.<ref name="auto"/> While this drink was not called a Mojito at this time, it was the original combination of these ingredients.<ref name="latimes" />

There are several theories behind the origin of the name ''Mojito'': one such theory holds that name relates to [[mojo (sauce)|mojo]], a Cuban seasoning made from lime and used to flavor dishes.<ref name=latimes /><ref>''Mojito'' is derived from the Spanish ''mojo sauce'', which often contains lime juice (see [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mojito "mojito" at Dictionary.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022084108/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mojito |date=22 October 2007 }}, citing the ''American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'', Fourth Edition, 2006, Houghton Mifflin), while ''mojo'' is derived from the Spanish verb ''mojar'', meaning "to make wet" (see [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mojo definition 3 of "mojo" at Dictionary.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023074612/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mojo |date=23 October 2007 }}, citing Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.7), 2003–2007, Lexico Publishing Group, LLC)</ref> Another theory is that the name Mojito is simply a derivative of ''mojadito'' (Spanish for "lightly wet"), the diminutive of ''mojado'' ("wet").<ref name="bevvy">{{cite web |last=Shenton |first=Will |url=https://bevvy.co/articles/the-history-of-the-mojito/938 |title=The History of the Mojito |publisher=Bevvy.co |date=11 July 2016 |access-date=2016-09-27 |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616192205/https://bevvy.co/articles/the-history-of-the-mojito/938 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The mojito has routinely been presented as a favorite drink of author [[Ernest Hemingway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6624971|title=Great American Writers and Their Cocktails|date=15 December 2006|work=NPR.org|access-date=2009-06-05|archive-date=9 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909225646/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6624971|url-status=live}}</ref> It has also often been said that Hemingway made the bar called [[Bodeguita del Medio|La Bodeguita del Medio]] famous when he became one of its regulars and wrote "My Mojito in La Bodeguita, My [[Daiquiri]] in [[El Floridita]]" on a wall of the bar. This epigraph, handwritten and signed in his name,<ref>{{cite web |author=W. Stock on 8 August 2010 |url=http://stockpress.de/2010/08/08/die-ewige-bodeguita/ |title=Die ewige Bodeguita |publisher=Stockpress.de |date=19 February 2011 |access-date=2011-09-01 |archive-date=4 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604163225/https://stockpress.de/2010/08/08/die-ewige-bodeguita/ |url-status=live }}</ref> persists despite doubts expressed by Hemingway biographers about such patronage and the author's taste for mojitos.<ref>{{cite book |last=Greene |first=Philip |date=2012 |title=To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion |publisher=Perigee Trade |page=168 |isbn=978-0399537646 }}</ref> La Bodeguita del Medio is better known for its food than its drink.<ref>[https://digital.wolfsonian.org/WOLF039575/00001/thumbs Menu]{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, La Bodeguita del Medio, Habana, Cuba in 1959</ref><ref>All around the world cookbook – Page 282 by Sheila Lukins in 1994</ref>

A survey by an international market research company found that in 2016 the mojito was the most popular cocktail in Britain and France.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global cocktail consumption highlights opportunity for British bars and suppliers|url=http://www.cgapeach.co.uk/peach-report/2016/7/13/global-cocktail-consumption-highlights-opportunity-for-british-bars-and-suppliers|work=International Cocktail Report|publisher=CGA Strategy|date=13 July 2016|access-date=16 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629000315/http://www.cgapeach.co.uk/peach-report/2016/7/13/global-cocktail-consumption-highlights-opportunity-for-british-bars-and-suppliers|archive-date=29 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Variations==
<!-- Please do not add a variation without also including a reliable source. Wikipedia is not for sharing personal inventions. -->

It is said that some hotels in [[Havana]] use [[powdered sugar]] with the mint leaves rather than granulated sugar as the former dissolves more readily, while many establishments use [[simple syrup]] instead.<ref name="AUSTIN">{{cite news|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A395771 |title=Food: Mojito |newspaper=The Austin Chronicle |date=18 August 2006 |access-date=2011-09-01}}</ref> The "rose mojito", which is a mojito variation containing the rose-flavored spirit, [[Lanique]], was first created at the Albert's Schloss bar in Manchester, England.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cocktails in the City Comes Back to Manchester|url=https://drinksenthusiast.com/2016/03/31/cocktails-in-the-city-comes-back-to-manchester/|website=DrinksEnthusiast.com|date=31 March 2016|publisher=Drinks Enthusiast|access-date=6 September 2016|archive-date=20 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920142317/https://drinksenthusiast.com/2016/03/31/cocktails-in-the-city-comes-back-to-manchester/|url-status=live}}</ref> A mojito without alcohol is called a "virgin mojito" or "nojito".<ref name="NOJITO">{{cite web |last=Gee |first=Denise |title=Nojito Recipe |url=https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/nojito-359529 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618142316/http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Nojito-359529 |archive-date=18 June 2010 |access-date=2011-09-01 |publisher=Epicurious.com}}</ref> The [[Cojito]] adds [[coconut]] flavor, often through the use of [[coconut]]-flavored rum.{{r|Petrosky-2016-09-05}} A dirty mojito calls for gold rum instead of white rum, and raw sugar or demerara sugar.<ref name="rumtherapy.com"/> Demerara is a light brown, partially refined, sugar produced from the first crystallization during processing cane juice into sugar crystals. Adding this to a mojito gives it a caramel-like flavor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-is-demerara-sugar.html|title=What is Demerara Sugar? – Care2 Healthy Living|website=Healthy Living|access-date=2019-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715181208/https://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-is-demerara-sugar.html|archive-date=2018-07-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> A dark rum mojito simply calls for a dark rum to be used instead of white.<ref name="rumtherapy.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rumtherapy.com/2013/04/10-mojito-variations/|title=10 Mojito Variations|first=Rum|last=Therapy|date=2 April 2013|access-date=8 August 2021|archive-date=8 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808041539/https://www.rumtherapy.com/2013/04/10-mojito-variations/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Mexico, [[tequila]] brand [[Don Julio]] offers the "mojito blanco" by simply replacing rum with tequila.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.donjulio.com/tequila-drinks/mojito-blanco|title=Blanco Mojito Drink – Tequila Drink Recipe – Don Julio|website=donjulio.com|access-date=4 June 2019|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043805/https://www.donjulio.com/tequila-drinks/mojito-blanco|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Peru, there are mojito variations that are made by adding fruits like grapefruit, called "mojito de toronja",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://peru.com//estilo-de-vida/gastronomia/recetas/mojito-de-toronja-2656|title=Mojito de toronja|website=Perú.com|access-date=4 June 2019|archive-date=4 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604204720/https://peru.com/estilo-de-vida/gastronomia/recetas/mojito-de-toronja-2656|url-status=dead}}</ref> or with passionfruit, called "mojito de maracuyá".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ladespensadedonjuan.com.sv/receta/mojito-de-maracuya/|title=Mojito de Maracuyá – La Despensa de Don Juan|website=ladespensadedonjuan.com.sv|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-date=24 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424064007/https://www.ladespensadedonjuan.com.sv/receta/mojito-de-maracuya/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many restaurants serve them,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tripadvisor.com.pe/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294316-d7854844-i168829606-Madam_Tusan-Lima_Lima_Region.html|title=Foto de Madam Tusan, Lima: Mojito de Maracuya y jugo de Chirimoya, Fresa y Mandarina|website=TripAdvisor|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-date=4 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122223/https://www.tripadvisor.com.pe/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294316-d7854844-i168829606-Madam_Tusan-Lima_Lima_Region.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tripadvisor.com.pe/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294316-d6912394-i106733096-New_York_Burger-Lima_Lima_Region.html|title=Foto de New York Burger, Lima: Mojito de Maracuya|website=TripAdvisor|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-date=4 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122353/https://www.tripadvisor.com.pe/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g294316-d6912394-i106733096-New_York_Burger-Lima_Lima_Region.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source |date=December 2022}} and these added ingredients enhance the cocktail and its original flavor. Some other fruits are found in other mojito recipes: pears, raspberries, and oranges.<ref name="rumtherapy.com"/> Purees of such fruits may also be used instead of the whole fruit itself. The strawberry mojito includes muddled strawberries;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.callmepmc.com/strawberry-mojito/|title=Strawberry Mojito|date=3 May 2013|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225164612/https://www.callmepmc.com/strawberry-mojito/|url-status=live}}</ref> a further departure along these lines substitutes gin for the light rum and lemon juice for lime juice, and adds tonic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.callmepmc.com/strawberry-gin-mojito/|title=Strawberry gin mojito|date=15 May 2014|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023051903/https://www.callmepmc.com/strawberry-gin-mojito/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Liquor}}
* [[Caipirinha]], Brazil's national cocktail made with [[cachaça]]
* [[List of cocktails]]
* [[Mint julep]], cocktail made with [[Bourbon whiskey|bourbon]]
* [[Grog]], a mix of rum, water and lime, given as a ration to [[Royal Navy]] sailors in the 18th century

== References ==
{{reflist | 30em | refs =
<ref name  = Petrosky-2016-09-05>{{cite web | url = http://www.thekitchn.com/big-batch-drink-for-labor-day-partyrecipe-cojito-the-10-minute-happy-hour-194090 | last= Petrosky | first = Maureen | date= 5 September 2016| title= Pitcher cocktail for your Labor Day party: sparkling Cojito | website = [[Apartment Therapy#The Kitchn|Kitchn]]| department = The 10-Minute Happy Hour | language = en | access-date = 1 November 2017 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20170613063850/http://www.thekitchn.com/big-batch-drink-for-labor-day-partyrecipe-cojito-the-10-minute-happy-hour-194090 | url-status= live | archive-date  = 2017-06-13}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Mojito-article.ogg|date=16 February 2020}}
{{wikibooks|Bartending|Cocktails/Mojito|Mojito}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*A version of Denise Gee’s [https://centdiary.com/virgin-mojito-recipe/ Nojito recipe on CentDiary]
{{Mint}}

[[Category:Cuban cocktails]]
[[Category:Caribbean drinks]]
[[Category:Cocktails with light rum]]
[[Category:Cold drinks]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Cuban inventions]]
[[Category:Cocktails with lime juice]]
[[Category:Cocktails with carbonated water]]
[[Category:Mint drinks]]