Juicy oranges, tart lime, and fresh mint leaves, combined with a splash of rum and lots of ice — you’ll want to stir up a festive pitcher of orange mojitos today! Invite a few friends over, find that perfect salsa playlist, and get ready to smile. Did you know that mojitos are a classic Cuban cocktail? Reportedly Ernest Hemingway’s favored cocktail, a mojito is a refreshing highball consisting of lime, fresh mint, white rum, and soda water, served over lots of ice. Of course, there are lots of fun variations. I love a pomegranate mojito! This sunny orange mojito is another exciting variation of the traditional cocktail. It’s guaranteed to brighten your day. And hey, it’s good for you. With all that orange juice, you’ll be taking in a bunch of Vitamin C, perfect to drive off all those nasty winter beasties.
About this orange mojito:
This is a simple cocktail with orange juice as the base. Use fresh squeezed oranges if you can. It takes about a dozen oranges to make a pitcher. Next, you’ll muddle four limes, cut into wedges, with a bit of granulated sugar.
Add fresh mint leaves to the the lime/sugar mixture and muddle a little more.
No need to over muddle the mint leaves. Gently bruise the leaves, leaving them somewhat whole. Doing this releases their oils and flavors your cocktails. How to muddle without a muddler? A muddler is basically a pestle for a bartender. You could use a thick wooden spoon, a small ice cream scoop, or a dowel. Add the lime/sugar/mint mixture to a pitcher and stir in the orange juice and white rum.
When you’re ready to serve your cocktails, add ice to a tall glass or wide goblet. Arrange orange and lime slices in the glass, and pour in the mojito mixture. Garnish with fresh mint.
Serve your mojitos with poblano queso dip and crisp tortilla chips. Or this warm Mexican spinach dip with crackers. Or beet bruschetta with orange tarragon goat cheese and creamy kale bruschetta. Or homemade caramel corn with bourbon and bacon. Yeah, pretty much anything!
What’s in a mojito with orange?
Freshly squeezed orange juice (lots of it!) Limes Sugar Fresh mint leaves White rum Lots of fresh ice
How to make this mojito your own:
Increase or decrease the amount of rum according to your taste. Or make it a virgin mojito — simply omit the rum. Top your cocktail with sparkling water or club soda to make sparkling orange mojitos. A slice of blood orange makes a dramatic garnish. Or make beautiful rose colored mojitos, using the juice from cara cara or blood oranges. This recipe makes a pitcher of mojitos. If you like, halve the recipe to make two servings. Looking for a lower calorie cocktail? Try a skinny mojito from Simple Joy, with just 90 calories per serving. Strain the mojitos if you want a less fruity minty drink.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
While it’s best served fresh, the mojito mixture will keep up to a week in the fridge, covered tightly. Make-ahead tips: Juice the oranges up to a day in advance. Cut the limes into wedges. Wash the mint. Make sure you have plenty of fresh ice.
It’s always so much fun to try new and interesting cocktails! Here’s a few more ideas for you:
Orange Gin and Tonic with Cinnamon (or, if you prefer the classic, Classic Gin and Tonic Recipe) Grapefruit and Elderflower Cocktail Watermelon Lemonade with Mint (with cocktail option!) Vodka Lemonade Frozen Sangria Slushie Recipe Frosé Recipe — the best frozen Rosé Cranberry Margarita Recipe Red Wine and Cherry Spritzer
