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Cocktail History
The Winter Mojito is a rum cocktail recipe that was created by the editors of PUNCH and included in their book Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails. It’s a simple variation of the classic Mojito that calls for blackstrap rum, a winter herb syrup, citrus, and soda water and is more fitting for snowy weather than the original.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Blackstrap Rum: This is the base spirit. We went with Tattersall Distilling Blackstrap Rum for its smoky, rich vanilla flavors with hints of cream and tobacco and lack of sugary sweetness. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum.
Lime Juice: This adds sour citrus flavors for balance. We prefer to use fresh citrus juice because it’s less bitter than the bottled stuff and tastes much better.
Winter Herb Syrup: This is a sweetener made with rosemary leaves, thyme leaves, sage leaves, white sugar, gum Arabic powder, and water. We made ours at home using Alex’s sous vide recipe.
Soda Water: This is water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. It stretches the drink and adds some fizz. We used Topo Chico because it’s light, essentially flavorless, and refreshing.
Lime Wheel: This is one of the garnishes. It adds a hint of lime aroma and flavor.
Rosemary: This is the other garnish. It adds rosemary aroma and flavor and lends a more wintry feeling to the drink.
Tasting Notes
The Winter Mojito begins with savory aromas of rosemary and a slightly lime-accented taste that features funky rum alongside a mixture of woodsy and wintery herbal sweetness. The aftertaste then features more of the blackstrap rum’s unique complexity, which despite being so bracingly strong goes down well aided by its accenting flavors.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: Although unique, we both found the blackstrap rum to be a bit too overpowering and preferred a second variation we tried with a light rum. It’s definitely worth trying both though, if you’re a fan of blackstrap rum’s funkiness.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This drink was a fun wintery take on the classic Mojito, subbing savory herbs in favor of the mint but remaining otherwise unchanged. The winter herb syrup we made was quite tasty, featuring a sweetness that’s countered by the savory tastes you associate with a snow-covered forest. Overall the drink works alright, but I do have to say that the tropical flavors of rum and lime do counter a bit with the wintery herbs, not quite making a perfect marriage of flavors. As they say, “things that grow together go together,” and these ingredients definitely do not grow together. This recipe might be better re-purposed with a gin in place of rum for an even more herbal and Christmas-tree-like taste.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I’m with Alex on this one. The blackstrap rum was just too funky in this recipe and mostly overpowered the tasty flavor of the winter herb syrup we made. In our second iteration, we used a light Jamaican rum, and that one was much more my speed—herbal, refreshing, and not so rum-flavored that I noticed it. I would drink this one again when I want a Mojito that’s not just mint-flavored.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Winter Drinks: 70 Essential Cold-Weather Cocktails by the editors of PUNCH.
Stem one rosemary sprig.
Add rosemary leaves and winter herb syrup to a shaker.
Gently muddle rosemary leaves and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
Add rum, lime juice, and ice to shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Double strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with soda water.
Garnish with lime wheel and remaining rosemary sprig.
Ingredients
Directions
Stem one rosemary sprig.
Add rosemary leaves and winter herb syrup to a shaker.
Gently muddle rosemary leaves and let sit for 2-3 minutes.
Add rum, lime juice, and ice to shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Double strain into a highball glass filled with fresh ice.
Top with soda water.
Garnish with lime wheel and remaining rosemary sprig.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Caleño Dark & Spicy Tropical Non-Alcoholic Spirit in place of the rum to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
More Rum Cocktails
If you like this rum-based cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Airmail: A gold rum cocktail made with lime juice, honey syrup, sparkling wine, and a lime peel
Mocha Rum Toddy: A rum cocktail made with coffee, dark crème de cacao, simple syrup, whipped cream, and cocoa powder
Jamaican Mule: A rum cocktail made with ginger syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, Angostura aromatic bitters, candied ginger, a lime slice, and an orchid blossom
Dark ‘N’ Stormy: A dark rum cocktail made with lime juice, ginger beer, and a lime wheel
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