When making a mojito, you have to use quality ingredients since it is so simple yet so refreshing – making sure you choose the freshest mint leaves and best rum for mojitos, you are guaranteed to have a great drink you can enjoy on a hot summer day.

What’s in a Mojito?

A mojito is a cocktail consisting of fresh mint, light or dark rum, lime juice, and club soda. Some prefer to add sugar or simple syrup to sweeten the drink.

Types of Rums for Mojitos

Light Rum

Light rum is pale in color and is not aged as long as dark rum. This type of rum is used for its bright and vibrant flavor profile. Fruit rums, which are still classified as light rums, such as coconut, mango, and lime flavors, can all be used in variations of the classic mint mojito.

Dark Rum

Dark rum is dark in color due to the aging process it undergoes. It has a more complex and richer flavor. Some dark rums are not aged enough to be considered an aged rum but rather dark in color due to the flavor additives such as spices and fruits.

How to Choose the Best Rum for Mojitos

The best rums for mojitos have some qualities you should look out for:

• It is a light rum made from quality ingredients
• It is not artificially flavored.
• It has no extra sugar added.

15 Best Brands of Rum for Mojitos

1. The Real McCoy 3-Year-Old

A light rum with 46% ABV and notes of vanilla, banana, and coconut can be tasted in this The Real McCoy rum from the Barbados region. It sells for around $21 a bottle.

2. Rhum Barbancourt White

If you’re looking for a great flavor profile in your mojito without taking over the freshness of the mint and lime, give the white rum by Rhum Barbancourta try. It is 40% ABV, made in Haiti, and has notes of caramel and baking spice. Get a bottle for $20.

3. Flor de Cana 4 Extra Seco

Flor de Cana gives us 4 Extra Seco rum that has a balance between sweet and dry, making it perfect if you want a really good mojito that won’t be overwhelmingly sweet.

Grab a 40% ABV for $18.

4. Plantation Original Dark Rum

If you want the taste of dark rum in your mojito, you have to try the original dark rum from Plantation. It is a blend of rum aged in Barbados and Jamaica that has a deep and complex flavor that won’t overpower your mojito. Get a bottle rated at 40% ABV for about $20.

5. Bacardi Superior

Bacardi offers us a superior white rum that is ideal for making mojitos since it is not overbearingly sweet, has some floral notes and is budget-friendly at around $16 a bottle. It has 40% ABV.

6. Bayou White rum

Although Bayou is a brand from Louisana, you can still taste tropical fruit notes in this 40% ABV white rum, making it a great local option with tropical tastes. Grab a bottle for $20.

7. El Dorado 3 Year

Made in Guyana and aged for 3 years, the rum from El Dorado blends exceptionally well with a mojito since the vanilla and oak notes pair well with the fresh mint. It is 40% ABV, and you can get a bottle for around $20.

8. Probitas Blended White Rum

Probita gives us a blended rum that is a blend from different distilleries. It has 47% ABV, and notes of custard and molasses can be tasted, which pair great with a mint mojito. Expect to pay about $31 a bottle.

9. Street Pumas Rum

At 40% ABV and made in Panama, the rum by Street Puma is ideal for a sweeter mojito variant like a strawberry mojito. It has some vanilla notes, and a bottle costs around $28 for a liter.

10. Havana Club 3 Year Old

Havana rum is made in Cuba, where the mojito cocktail originated, so the two go hand-in-hand. Classic sugarcane and vanilla notes are found in this 40% ABV bottle of rum, and you will pay about $24 a bottle.

11. Cruzan Aged Light Rum

Cruzan’s aged light rum is good enough to sip neat but performs well as the base of a mojito. You will taste vanilla with a pleasantly clean finish. A bottle of 40% ABV is around $13, making it a bargain.

12. Matusalem Platino

A hint of coconut and vanilla is to be expected when drinking MatusalemPlatino in any cocktail. The 40% ABV rum is crystal clear due to a charcoal filtering process. Pick up a bottle for only $20.

13. Mount Gay Eclipse

This Caribbean rum is an aged rum but offers complexity in your mojito that a white rum can’t. Expect notes of vanilla and tropical fruit. The Eclipse rum by Mount Gay is 40% ABV and sells for just over $28.

14. Don Q Cristal

Don Q Cristal is a blend of aged rum that has a very clean taste, almost resembling the taste of vodka, which might be a good thing if you don’t want any rum flavors to overpower your mojito. You can get a 40% ABV bottle for $15.

15. Plantation 3 Stars

Technically, 3 Stars by Plantation is a dark rum that has been filtered to look like it is a white rum, and the complex flavors are well-balanced in a mojito. 3 stars have 41.2% ABV and sell for $20.

5 Mojito Recipes You Must Try

1. Blackberry Mojito

If you have blackberries and 5 minutes to spare, you have to try making this blackberry mojito that will be flavorful and refreshing.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 oz blackberries
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/2 cup white rum
• juice from half a lime
• 1 can of sparkling lemon water

Step 1. Muddle and Shake

First, add your blueberries, mint leaves, and sugar to a cocktail shaker and muddle with the back of a wooden spoon until the berries are crushed. Add the lime juice, rum, and ice and shake for 30 seconds.

Step 2. Top Off

Next, fill four glasses with a few cubes of ice, and fill about halfway with your mojito mixture. Lastly, top it off with sparkling lemon water and enjoy.

2. Mango Mojito

When you’re craving something sweet and refreshing, look no further than this recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen for a mango mojito.

Ingredients

• 3-4 mint leaves
• 2 slices mango
• 1 wedge lime
• 1-ounce light rum
• 1-ounce mango rum or vodka
• 2 ounces of club soda
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• additional mango slices

Step 1. Muddle and Squeeze

Place the mango slices, and mint leaves in a glass and muddle. Squeeze the lime juice into the glass and add the wedge in too.

Step 2. Mix and Serve

Add the rum, syrup, and soda to the glass, and garnish with the extra mango slice. Enjoy immediately.

3. Champagne and Blueberry Mojito

A champagne and blueberry mojito might be just what you need if you feel like celebrating but are in the mood for your favorite cocktail.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of mint
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 3-4 lime slices
• 1 cup of blueberries divided
• 1 cup rum
• Champagne

Step 1. Muddle

In a pitcher, using the back of a wooden spoon, muddle together half of the blueberries along with the sugar, lime, and mint until the berries are all crushed. Next, add the rum and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 2. Add Bubbles

Lastly, top up the pitcher with champagne and serve in glasses filled with ice. Garnish with berries and mint leaves.

4. White Wine Mojito

Out of rum or willing to try something new? Lively Table has the best white wine mojito recipe to try.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of chilled dry white wine
• 1 cup chilled lemon Italian soda or sparkling lemonade
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 lime, sliced

Step 1. Stir It Up

Add your wine, soda, and lime juice to a pitcher, along with your mint leaves and sliced lime, and stir. Pour into glasses with ice and enjoy.

5. Strawberry Mojito

Summer is berry season, so take advantage of that and try a Couple Cooks’ recipe for a delicious strawberry mojito.

Ingredients

• 6 mint leaves, plus an additional for garnish
• 3 ripe strawberries, plus more for garnish
• 2 ounces* white rum
• 1-ounce lime juice
• 1 ounce of simple syrup or maple syrup
• 4 ounces of soda water

Step 1. Slice and Muddle

First, cut your strawberries in half. Add your mint leaves to a cocktail shaker and muddle them, then add your strawberries and muddle again.

Step 2. Shake and Serve

Add your lime juice, syrup, and rum to the shaker and add some ice. Shake until it is cold and strain into glasses filled with ice. Garnish with mint and strawberries.

Best Rum for Mojitos FAQ

Can Mojitos Be Shaken?

The proper way to make a mojito is to stir it to allow the flavors to slowly incorporate into the drink.

Do Mojitos Have Health Benefits?

While the alcohol in the drink has no real health benefits, the mint and lime both aid in digestion, and the lime gives you a vitamin c boost, ideal for helping your immune system. Plus, overall, the mojito isn’t as calorific as other popular drinks.

How Do You Fix Bitter Mojitos?

The idea is to only lightly muddle the mint leaves, not completely mush them up. Your mojito will be very bitter if you overwork the mint leaves. A fix for an already bitter mojito is to try and dilute it with soda, lime, or syrup.

How Long Do Mojitos Stay Good?

If you don’t want to finish your mojito right away, a pitcher of mojito will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Try to only add the soda once you are ready to serve it and enjoy it within 2-3 hours.

Best Rum for Mojitos Conclusion

Using the best rum for mojitos ensures you have a complex yet balanced flavor profile in your drink. You don’t have to use the most expensive brand, but using a good rum always ensures impressed guests and a lovely drink.