Sugar, spice and all things nice. You’ll definitely find all three in this delicious twist on a classic Mojito recipe. Want to up your Mojito-making game? Read on to discover my Spiced Rum Mojito recipe.
A brief history of the Mojito
The Mojito is a traditional highball cocktail that originated in Havana, Cuba. As seems to be the case with a lot of cocktails, however, the exact origin of the drink is somewhat up for debate. For the sake of this piece, though, I’m sticking with Cuba as its founder. The cocktail was actually first known as a remedy for various tropical illnesses by local South American Indians, and they would travel over to Cuba to gather ingredients to create medicine. The ingredient that they used was called aguardiente de caña, which translates to ‘burning water’, and they would mix it with lime, sugarcane juice and mint. Sounds familiar, right?
Nowadays, a standard mojito consists of five key ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water and mint. The combination creates a delicious mix of sweet and citrus, with the freshness of mint. It’s an incredibly popular summer cocktail and is definitely one that I find myself ordering (and, of course, making) a lot in the warmer months. To learn more about the history of the Mojito, visit the Wikipedia page.
My Spiced Rum Mojito recipe
If you’ve read any of my other cocktail recipes before then you’ll know that I love adding my own twist to a classic cocktail. So, I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that my Mojito recipe comes with its own twist too. But you know that from the title already, don’t you? Yeah, that’s right, my Mojito recipe doesn’t use white rum. Instead, I opted for something with a little bit more pizzaz to it. Spiced Rum. Here’s how I make it.
Equipment
High ball glass | Muddler
Ingredients
50ml spiced rum
25ml sugar syrup
100ml soda water
juice of half a lime
10-15 fresh mint leaves
plenty of crushed ice
Method
Add the mint leaves & lime juice into the glass.
Using the muddler, give the mint & lime juice a good muddle.
Add some of the crushed ice into the glass until it’s about a third of the way full.
Pour in the rum & sugar syrup, then give the drink another quick muddle.
Add even more crushed ice to the glass until it’s two thirds full.
Pour the soda water on top & give everything a quick stir.
Top the drink off with a little bit more ice & serve.
Spice, spice baby
As a lover of a strong drink, swapping out white rum for spiced rum for this cocktail makes all the difference in my opinion. I’ve often found that Mojito’s that use white rum can have a really watery quality to them (which I am absolutely NOT on board with). When I make a drink, I want it to pack a punch, and I think the switch from white to spice rum really adds to the cocktail.
A quick note: if you’re making your own sugar syrup you might need to add a fraction more of it for that extra sweetness. I found that homemade stuff isn’t as sweet as sugar syrup that you buy in the shop. So, if you think it’s lacking sweetness, add a little more of it!
Pair it with a playlist
Want to get the full mojito experience? Level up your cocktail making by pairing this Spiced Rum Mojito with the F O Mojito playlist. My mojito-inspired playlist is full of classic Cuban hits and has been specifically curated to listen to whilst sipping on this cocktail. Listen to it on Spotify.
And that’s my Spiced Rum Mojito recipe! Are you a Mojito lover? What are your thoughts on my spicy twist on the classic cocktail? For more cocktail recipes (and music pairings) make sure to check out the cocktail section of Female Original, where you can find every cocktail recipe that I’ve shared before.
Female Original
Read next: Cocktail Hour: Whiskey Sour.
Oh, I love a good Mojito! When done right, they are so refreshing, aren’t they?
Thanks for the recipe, I will be giving your version a go. Perfect for sitting out in the garden enjoying the sun!
Aimsy xoxo
They’re the best! I love the slightly stronger flavours that you get from using a spiced rum instead of a normal white rum. I hope you enjoy it! x
Ooh I love a mojito! This looks so good Faye! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Same here, I definitely think they’re even better with a spiced rum! x
Who doesn’t love a Mojito, I have to say I’ve never tried a Spicy one! Think I’m gonna have to make one as god knows how long we’re going to be on lockdown for.
I’d never had a spiced rum one until I made one myself! I have to say, as a huge mojito fan anyway, it’s so much nicer with spiced rum 🙂 x
I love mojitos but I don’t think I’ve ever tried one with dark rum before but I totally agree with you that sometimes a white rum version can taste watery so I’m keen to try this. It looks so delicious and refreshing. Loving the cocktail recipes too x
Sophie
So glad you’re enjoying the cocktail recipes! It’s been a lot of fun testing them out 🙂 There’s nothing worse than a watery mojito – dark rum definitely makes all the difference x
I’ve definitely been making a lot more coffee over this isolation period, but mojitos sound lushhh, especially as the weather is warming up. Too bad I’m not legal yet :’)
Oooh I do love a coffee! I’ll defo be making iced coffee’s again soon once it gets a bit warmer over here 🙂 x
I’ve never tried making my own cocktails! I don’t drink but I could definitely experiment with mocktails. I had a mocktail mojito last year at a restaurant and it was lovely! xxx
Oooh, maybe mocktails are something I should look into trying for this series! A mocktail mojito sounds lovely 🙂 x
This recipe looks perfect for a post-work drink. I’ll definitely have to give it a go! xx
Definitely a good one for drinking post-work! x
Great recipe, I’ve been trying cooking and preparing many new things since I’m staying at home for so long. It looks amazing!
Have a nice day,
matiime.blogspot.com
Thank you! Experimenting with recipes is such a great way to spend time indoors at the moment x
Great post! I’ve never made my own mojito, though I love them, and I can’t think of a better time to try it out. Thank you for sharing!
Now is definitely the perfect time to test it out! They’re one of my favourite cocktails but I’d never really learned how to make my own until now. Hope you enjoy it! X
I’ve only ever had one good mojito and that was on holiday! I’ve been making a few cocktails at home but I’ve only really branched out to a pina colada – I think this is next on my list! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Oooh I’d love to make a pina colada myself! Maybe that’s what I should make next. I absolutely love this version of it – they’re even better with spiced rum 🙂 x
Yes love this! Can’t wait to see any other cocktail posts you share. I am thinking of sharing cocktails on my blog too☺️Xx
Ah thank you! You should definitely share your cocktail recipes – I’d love to read them 🙂 x
I was taught how to make cocktails couple of years ago but never put it into practice, this is such a great idea and great recipe. Thank you for sharing
Oh that’s cool! Thank you so much – it’s definitely a current favourite drink of mine x
I’m not the biggest fan of Mojito’s. I think it’s the mint! I love the smell, but I really don’t like the taste. Now is definitely the right time though to start experimenting and making cocktails at home.
Claire.X
http://www.clairemac.co.uk
I’ve really enjoyed testing out some new drinks! I love mint which is why mojitos are one of my favourites x
Ahh, this mojito looks so delicious and refreshing! It really makes me miss going to bars and having a nice cocktail.
Mai
✰ maidoesthings.com
It’s such a lovely drink! I definitely miss going out for a cocktail but it’s a lot of fun learning a few new ones at home too 🙂 x
oh wow! That looks so good! I will need to try that! Thanks for sharing!
It’s so lovely! I hope you enjoy trying it out for yourself x
This sounds really yummy! I love a good cocktail! Perfect for the summer months ahead.
It’s such a lovely drinks – especially for this time of year x
I saw the words cocktail and I was sold, going to do my daily walk to Tesco to round up the ingredients and give this a go!
Haha, I hope you liked it! x
I’m going to try this recipe at the weekend, it looks fab!
Oooh fab! I hope you enjoy it 🙂 x
It is great that you have been learning how to make your own cocktails! I need to do the same – you save so much money this way. I love that the mojito doesn’t take much to make. It is one of my favorite simple cocktails! Thanks for sharing!
Nancy ♥
I’ve always wanted to know how to make my own mojito so I thought now would be a great time to learn! 🙂 x
Oh how I miss mojitos! This was my go to drink whenever I went out … thank you for sharing this recipe, I will definitely be testing this out!
Mojitos always remind me of the summertime! Making them with spiced rum is honestly such a game changer – I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂 x
Today is a perfect day for one of these mojito’s 😀
Oh definitely 🙂 x