Blueberry Mojito Cocktail

Northern Blueberry meets the Caribbean in this fruity spin on a classic Cuban cocktail. This refreshing Blueberry Mojito Cocktail takes summer sipping to another level. Recipe makes one cocktail but is easy to scale up.

Summer cocktail season is my favourite time to enjoy new spins on classic cocktails. There’s nothing as refreshing as a Spicy Pineapple Margarita or truly tropical as this Mango Passionfruit Wine Slushie. So, get out that cocktail shaker and sip away the summer heat!

Blueberry Mojito Cocktail

Nothing screams summer like a pitcher of fresh Blueberry Mojitos. This easy cocktail is extremely refreshing and contains rum, lime, blueberries, and a whole lot of mint. Which is a good thing because the mint in my herb garden is growing like crazy right now!

I have a philosophy and that is whatever grows (spatially and seasonally) together, tastes good together. In general, this statement is true. Just think of how delicious tomatoes and basil are together. Right now is the prime growing season for both blueberries and mint. They are readily available and taste amazing RIGHT NOW.

Dear readers, this is not a difficult cocktail to make. However there are a few ‘techniques’ you can use to get your mojito as close to a Cuban bartender’s as is possible. I’m here to lay it all out for you.

In the meantime, I highly recommend this Cuban Mojito Youtube video to see how the pros really do it. Spoiler alert: The bartender has made so many mojitos, he really lets the rum flow!

The Classic Mojito

When you watch the video you will notice that there is no mint simple syrup in an authentic Cuban Mojito. Nor are there any blueberries. The blueberries are my Canadian spin on this classic Caribbean cocktail recipe.

A classic Cuban Mojito contains mint, sugar, soda water, rum and lime. This lineup of ingredients may seem simple, but it is the technique that really allows all the ingredients to shine.

As with many classic cocktails, the origin of the mojito is a bit muddled (see what I did there?). Stories range from a South American Indian digestive remedy, to thirsty African slaves working in the sugar cane fields, and even the explorer Sir Francis Drake as the inventor of the mojito.

Cuba is a rum-loving (and producing!) country and this cocktail is at the heart of any bar on the island. One of the most famous bars serving mojitos is La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana, which supposedly gained notoriety as a favourite haunt of writer Ernest Hemingway.

Ingredients for a Blueberry Mojito

A classic Mojito contains only 5 ingredients (plus ice). Of course there are many variations using other fruits and other rums but I am focussing on the classic mojito recipe here…along with blueberries!

• Fresh Mint
• Sugar
• Lime
• White Rum
• Soda Water
• Ice

You can not, under any circumstances, make a mojito without fresh mint. It’s just not going to happen. In Cuba they use Yerba buena or hierba buena which can be any herb within the mint family. The specific plant species varies from region to region, depending on what grows wild.

The species most commonly found in Cuba is Mentha nemorosa. Since you will likely not have access to this variety, use the mint that is available in your area.

Typically, sugar cane juice, cane sugar, or demerara sugar is the most popular sweetener for mojitos. If you can find it, use demerara sugar because it gives a lovely caramel-like flavour to the cocktail.

Demerara is a light brown, partially refined, sugar produced from the first crystallization during processing cane juice into sugar crystals. Granulated sugar will work as well, however the flavour will be slightly different.

While other variations do exist, a mojito is primarily a white rum cocktail. You can use anything from Bacardi to a more interesting rum base, depending on how much you are willing to spend. Recommendation: Havana Club Anejo 3 Anos.

Even though the mojito is a one spirit cocktail, it doesn’t have to be ‘one note’. Try premium white rums from Haiti, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, Panama, Puerto Rico, and of course Havana Club from Cuba.

What is the difference between soda water and club soda? Soda water, or seltzer, is water that has been carbonated while club soda is carbonated water with other added minerals. Both taste very similar and can be used interchangeably in this recipe.

As any bartender will agree, choosing the right kind of ice is an important factor in making the perfect cocktail. Cubed ice is the most popular choice for mojitos as shaved or crushed ice will melt too quickly, watering the drink down.

How to Make a Blueberry Mojito

Place the mint, fresh lime juice, and sugar in a highball glass. Muddle the mint leaves by pushing downward, then twisting the muddler. Do this for about 10 seconds. This technique gently crushes and releases the oils in the mint instead of bruising and shredding it. The end result is a cleaner mint flavour.

Add the blueberries to the glass. Use the cocktail muddler to muddle the blueberries and mint together, releasing juice from the blueberries and combining it with oils from the mint leaves.

Next, add the rum and stir. Fill the glass almost to the top with cube ice then top it off with a splash of club soda or soda water. Garnish the cocktail with a fresh mint leaves and blueberries. Cheers!

How to Make a Batch of Blueberry Mojitos

If you are making mojitos for a crowd, muddling each individual drink can get tiresome. Though it is less authentic, there is an easier way to make a pitcher of mojitos. When you want to make a large amount of mojitos, I highly recommend using a mint simple syrup.

To make mint simple syrup for 8 mojitos: Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and eight sprigs of mint in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for two minutes and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool and steep until it reaches room temperature. Strain the mint leaves out before using.

To make mojitos using the syrup: Place the mint simple syrup, 1 cup fresh lime juice and 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries in a pitcher. Use a muddler to gently crush, releasing the mint oils and blueberry juices.

Add 1 cup white rum to the pitcher and stir. Place a sprig of fresh mint in each highball glass, then fill it 2/3 full with ice cubes. Divide the premixed mojitos among the glasses and top each cocktail up with club soda.

For garnish use extra blueberries, mint sprigs, or lime wedges. Serve immediately.

Other Mojito Variations

Get creative and try this recipe with other kinds of fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, grapefruit, mangoes, passionfruit, and even grapes. YUM. Other ways to change up the classic mojito include:

• Add a few splashes of Angostura bitters to decrease sweetness.
• Use a rose based spirit (Lanique) for a English style Rose Mojito.
• Skip the rum and make a virgin Mojito, or Nojito.
• Use coconut flavoured rum for a Cojito.
• Make a ‘dirty mojito’ with gold rum. Is that called a Dorjito?
• Make it with demerara rum or dark rum.

It’s interesting to note that variations using spirits other than rum (such as gin and tequila) also exist. Can these outlier cocktails even be classified as mojitos?

If you make this Blueberry Mojito recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, I’d love to see what you guys are making! Thank you so much for reading my blog.