The recipe
for your table
Muddle the lime wedges with the sugar in the glass.
Add the lightly bruised mint and fill the glass with crushed ice.
Top with soda water (fresher) or ginger ale (sweeter) and stir from the bottom up.
Garnish with a generous sprig of mint and a lime wheel.
The story
The mocktail revolution is the biggest shift in the drinks world of this decade: 'zebra striping' – alternating between with and without alcohol – has become the norm for younger generations, and alcohol-free menus are growing every year. The Virgin Mojito is the most ordered mocktail worldwide, precisely because it lacks nothing: the freshness of mint and lime is the mojito. In Cuba, the drink has always existed too – children and drivers simply drank the mojito without rum.
The right glass
Serve the Virgin Mojito exactly like the regular version: in a tall highball glass of 36 to 55 cl with a sturdy base for muddling. Guests who drink alcohol-free do not want a 'children's glass' – the same beautiful serve is precisely the point. One set of good highball glasses covers your entire mojito menu, with and without rum. For glasses with a sturdy base that can withstand muddling, take a look at our mojito glasses.
Bormioli Rocco Diamond Highball Glass 47 cl (6 pieces)
Arcoroc Islande Highball Glass 33 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets — together € 35,90.
The right tools
For a Virgin Mojito, besides the glass, you use a bar spoon for stirring, a muddler, a jigger for precise measuring, and glass straws. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 4 bar tools - together € 81,75.
Variations & twists
Using ginger ale instead of soda makes it sweeter and spicier, while tonic makes it drier and more grown-up. Muddle in strawberries or passion fruit for a fruity version. And with alcohol-free white rum - which genuinely exists by now - you can get surprisingly close to the original. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
A splash of elderflower syrup instead of some of the sugar gives the Virgin Mojito extra depth. Serve it just as carefully as the alcoholic version - the garnish makes the mocktail.
The difference from the classic Mojito
Exactly one thing is omitted: the 5 cl of white rum. The lime, mint, cane sugar, crushed ice, and soda remain unchanged, so most of the flavour remains too, because the freshness comes from the mint and lime. What you miss is the rum's light vanilla and cane-sugar note, as well as the warmth alcohol gives your throat. Make up for it with an extra half centilitre of lime juice and a splash of elderflower syrup, and the glass regains the depth the rum would otherwise provide.
With Sprite or soda water
Soda water keeps the cocktail dry and lets the mint shine, but it does require the full two teaspoons of cane sugar. If you replace the soda with Sprite or 7-Up, leave out most of the sugar: those soft drinks contain around 9 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres, so 15 cl already contains about 13 grams. The result is sweeter, smoother, and by far the favourite among children. Ginger ale is somewhere in between and adds a spicy edge. Whichever you choose, pour it ice-cold and only top up once the glass is full of crushed ice.
For a group: in a jug
You would normally muddle one glass at a time, but for eight guests that takes half an hour. Instead, muddle the juice and zest of eight limes with sixteen teaspoons of cane sugar in a jug, add eighty mint leaves, and gently press them with a bar spoon. Let the jug infuse in the fridge for half an hour, then strain out the mint, otherwise it will turn bitter. Fill the glasses with crushed ice, pour 6 cl of the mixture into each glass, and top up with soda water.
Does alcohol-free white rum work
Alcohol-free rum alternatives genuinely exist now, and in this cocktail they come closest to the original of all the 0.0% options. They bring the caramel, vanilla, and oak notes you miss in a Virgin Mojito, without the sharpness of alcohol. Allow 5 cl per glass and fifteen to twenty-five euros per 70 cl bottle. Watch the sugar content, because some brands are very sweet; taste it neat first and adjust your cane sugar afterward. The glass is also perfectly good without it, just a little flatter.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a virgin Mojito?
A Virgin Mojito contains one whole lime cut into wedges, two teaspoons of cane sugar, ten fresh mint leaves, crushed ice, and soda water or ginger ale. That is the complete recipe: only the rum from the Mojito is omitted; the freshness of mint and lime remains fully intact.
How do you make an alcohol-free Mojito?
Muddle the lime wedges with the sugar in the glass, add the lightly bruised mint, and fill the glass with crushed ice. Top up with soda water for a refreshing version or ginger ale for a sweeter one, and stir from the bottom up. Garnish with a generous sprig of mint and a lime wheel.
How do you make a virgin Mojito with Sprite?
Replace the soda water with Sprite or 7-Up and leave out most of the cane sugar, because the lemonade is already sweet enough. Muddle the lime and mint as usual and top up with the ice-cold lemonade. The result is sweeter and smoother than the soda version, and popular with children.
What is the best recipe for a Virgin Mojito?
The best recipe uses a whole, very fresh lime instead of bottled juice, real cane sugar, and mint that you gently bruise rather than finely muddle, otherwise it becomes bitter. Crushed ice is essential: it cools faster and dilutes evenly. Serve in a tall glass of 36 to 55 cl.
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