Mojito Blanco Recipe: The Tequila Mojito

Ingredients

1½ oz blanco tequila 100 % agavee.g. Olmeca Altos · Patrón · Don Julio · Espolòn · El Jimador
¾ oz lime juice about one lime
8 leaves mint leaves
2 tsp raw cane sugar
4 oz sparkling mineral water well chilled

Garnish: Mint sprig and lime wheel · Ice: Ice cubes

Method

Put the lime juice, raw cane sugar and a splash of the mineral water in a highball glass and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the mint leaves and press them gently with a muddler.
Fill the glass with ice cubes and pour in the tequila.
Top with the rest of the sparkling mineral water and stir gently from the bottom up.
Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wheel.

Watch it made

Mojito Blanco

Taste

Fresh and minty with bright lime, a green, peppery agave note and gentle sweetness. Light, fizzy and easy to drink.

History and origin

The Mojito Blanco is not a historic drink with a birthplace of its own but one of the many modern twists on the Cuban Mojito. As premium 100 % agave tequila became widely available and popular with bartenders from the 2000s onward, swapping it into rum classics became common practice, and the Mojito, with its simple frame of spirit, lime, sugar, mint and bubbles, was an obvious candidate.

The name simply points to its base spirit: blanco, sometimes called silver or plata, is unaged or briefly rested tequila, clear and vegetal. Its herbal, peppery character happens to suit mint very well. Using raw cane sugar and sparkling mineral water instead of white sugar and soda is a small but noticeable change that gives the drink a rounder, slightly mineral finish.

Bartender tips

Choose a 100 % agave blanco; mixto tequila tastes harsh next to fresh mint.
Raw cane sugar dissolves slowly, so give it time in the lime juice before adding ice, or use 15 ml rich demerara syrup.
A highly carbonated mineral water keeps the drink lively longer than a soft, low-fizz one.

Variations

Mezcal Mojito: An easy twist: replace half the tequila with mezcal for a smoky layer.
Classic Mojito: The original: white rum instead of tequila, with white cane sugar and soda water.