Virgin Mojito

Michael Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

A classic mojito without the rum, sweetened with plain cane sugar and topped with plain soda water.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig for garnish
• 2 teaspoons cane sugar (or 1 tablespoon simple syrup)
• 1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
• Ice cubes
• 6 ounces (180 ml) plain soda water or club soda
• Extra lime wedge, for garnish

Instructions

Muddle

1. Add the mint leaves, cane sugar, and 3 of the lime wedges to a tall glass.
2. Muddle firmly for 15 to 20 seconds. Press and twist to bruise the mint and release the juice from the limes. You want the sugar mostly dissolved and the mint fragrant, not shredded.

Build

1. Fill the glass to the top with ice.
2. Squeeze in the last lime wedge, then drop it into the glass.
3. Top with plain soda water and stir once from the bottom to lift the mint and sugar off the base.

Garnish

1. Tuck a fresh mint sprig and a lime wedge into the ice. Serve with a straw.

Tips & Substitutions

• Batch for a party. Multiply the mint, sugar, and lime by the number of guests and muddle in a pitcher. Hold off on the soda water until serving so the drinks stay fizzy; top each glass individually over ice.
• Frozen variation. Blend the muddled base with 1 cup of ice and 2 ounces of soda water for a slushie-style mojito. Pour into the glass and top with another splash of soda water for fizz.
• Check flavored sparkling water labels. The red flags are apple, pear, or mango juice concentrate, inulin or chicory root fiber, honey or agave, high-fructose corn syrup, and polyols like sorbitol or xylitol. Plain soda water, club soda, or plain sparkling water are the safe default.
• Sweeten with cane sugar, not honey or agave. Both honey and agave are high in fructose and remain high-FODMAP at normal drink pours. Table sugar, simple syrup, and pure maple syrup all work.
• If some people want rum. The base is the same drink a bartender would build for a classic mojito. Add 1.5 ounces of white rum to the muddled glass before the ice and you have the full cocktail, so one recipe covers the whole table.
• Use simple syrup for a smoother finish. Equal parts sugar and water simmered until dissolved keeps well in the fridge for about 2 weeks and skips the gritty texture of undissolved sugar.

Why This Works

Lime and mint are low-FODMAP at drink serves. Monash lists fresh lime juice and mint leaves as low-FODMAP in the portions a mojito uses: the juice from 1/2 lime and 8 to 10 mint leaves. Most of the flavor comes from those two, and neither adds a FODMAP cost.

Cane sugar works here. Sucrose is one glucose plus one fructose, already paired, so it doesn't cause the excess-fructose issue that honey and agave do. A teaspoon or two per drink sits well within the low-FODMAP range.

Plain soda water only. Plain carbonated water is just water and CO2. Flavored versions are where it gets tricky: apple or pear juice concentrate, inulin, or chicory root fiber can push a drink into high-FODMAP territory without a label warning.

No honey, no agave. Both are fructose-dominant at any meaningful pour. A honey-sweetened mojito pushes the drink high-FODMAP before you've even added ice.

Storage

Best made to order. The muddled mint and lime base can hold in the fridge for up to 2 hours if you're prepping for a crowd. Add the soda water and ice at serve time so the drink stays cold and carbonated. Simple syrup keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for about 2 weeks at 40°F (4°C) or below.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.