This Is The Secret To A Perfect Mojito

According to The Culture Trip, mojitos are a Cuban invention made of white rum, sugar, lime, soda water, and mint. While most bartenders will be able to make some version of the basic cocktail, in an interview with Wine Enthusiast, bar manager and cocktail director Brady Weise argues that many spots have ruined the classic drink by making it overly sweet and unnecessarily complicated. He gives a few bits of advice to help you (and any bartenders looking to right this libation based wrong) make the perfect mojito.

The first piece of advice he gives is to steer clear of flavored rums. These might seem like an easy shortcut to a flavorful tipple, but they actually will throw off the balance of the drink. He suggests purchasing a dry rum for the drink (yes, rum can be dry or sweet), so ask for a recommendation at your liquor store. You can always add fresh fruit at the end if you are craving a slightly different flavor than the classic mojito taste.

Weise's next piece of advice is to always use crushed ice, which you can make in a food processor or by whacking a bag of ice covered with a dish towel. Crushed ice allows the ingredients to become as cold as possible, as quickly as possible, which helps prevent the mint flavor from becoming overpowering. He states that the ideal size for crushed ice is around 1/2 inch in diameter, and you want the pieces to resemble small pebbles.

You should go easy on the mint too, with Weise claiming you only need eight to 10 mint leaves. He asks that you stop muddling them as well, and says instead to gently massage the mint in your hands to release the essential oils. Put these leaves in the glass first, and then add the other ingredients on top. This will provide enough mint flavor to create a harmonious balance in your cocktail.

For his last tip, Weise recommends skipping the soda water entirely, saying that his perfect mojito recipe only calls for white rum, simple syrup, lime, and mint. He claims that adding more ingredients than these basic four take away from the complexity of the cocktail, watering it down before you've even taken your first sip. He says that rum should be the star of this libation, with the other three ingredients adding support and bringing out the best of rum's flavor.