ETHANOL

MOJITO

Havana, 1930s codification.

HIGHBALL
ETHANOL 19 G131 KCAL FROM ETHANOL5.41 OZ SERVED

SPEC

2 oz · 60 mlWHITE RUM40 %
¾ oz · 22 mlLIME JUICE
½ oz · 15 mlSIMPLE SYRUP
8 leavesMINT
2 oz · 60 mlSODA WATER

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

METHOD

  1. 01MUDDLE MINT WITH SYRUP IN GLASS
  2. 02ADD RUM + LIME JUICE
  3. 03FILL WITH CRUSHED ICE
  4. 04TOP WITH SODA + GARNISH MINT SPRIG

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

STRENGTH // WORKED

Pre-batch3.25 oz mixed with ice, 0.8 oz of it pure alcohol
MeltBuilt in the glass: +5 % of the pre-batch, +0.16 oz of water
ToppedPoured after the melt, kept whole: soda water 2 oz, no alcohol
Served3.25 + 0.16 + 2 = 5.41 oz in the glass, 0.8 oz of it alcohol
Strength0.8 ÷ 5.41 = 14.8 % ABV as served
Ethanol0.8 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 19 g · about 131 kcal from the alcohol alone

IN THE GLASS

MENTHOL

FROM MINT · the cooling sensation

Formula
C₁₀H₂₀O
Mass
156.27 g/mol
IUPAC
(1R,2S,5R)-5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylcyclohexan-1-ol

A cyclic alcohol that hijacks TRPM8, the same cold-sensing receptor that fires when the skin actually hits a cool surface. The "cooling" sensation is neurological, not thermal; the drink isn't cold, the nerves just think it is. Peppermint carries the most; a mojito gets a fraction of the real thing from muddled mint leaves. Same chemistry powers menthol cigarettes, cough drops, and the post-shave aftershock of anything labeled "icy."

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Mint Julep · Stinger · Grasshopper · Old Cuban · Whiskey Smash · Cynar Julep · Eastside · Maid in Cuba

CITRAL

FROM LIME · the lemon aroma

Formula
C₁₀H₁₆O
Mass
152.24 g/mol
IUPAC
(2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienal

Lemon's defining note: technically a mix of two geometric isomers (geranial and neral) that read as the same aroma to the nose. Lemon peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, and Indian chai all carry it. In cocktails it's what a lemon twist contributes that lemon juice can't: the volatile expressed from the oil glands, not the acid from the pulp.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Margarita · Daiquiri · Whiskey Sour · Gimlet · Moscow Mule · Paper Plane · Aviation · Corpse Reviver #2

CHEMISTRY

White rum, mint, lime, sugar and soda. Carvone carries the spearmint, and its trace of menthol adds a faint cool. Citral from lime oil opens the nose. Carbonation lifts the mint's aromatics out of the glass.

PROVENANCE

The precursor was El Draque, attributed to Sir Francis Drake's crew during the 1586 sack of Cartagena: sugar, mint, and aguardiente as scurvy medicine. The modern recipe with rum, lime, and soda water emerged in 1930s Havana and was later tied, on thin evidence, to Hemingway's supposed orders at La Bodeguita del Medio.

RUM // NEARBY

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