Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
This Mint Rose Mojito Mocktail is minty, floral, and refreshing with a light citrusy flavor. It's easy to make in a large batch so it's perfect for a spring or summertime gathering. The crushed mint adds both flavor and aroma and the muddled lime adds a citrus tang as well as a slight bitter edge that counteracts the sweetness of the rose syrup.
This faux-mojito, or as some people call it a faux-jito or fauxjito, is less of a virgin version of the classic mint mojito because it lacks to bitter burn that a real mojito has. But it's more like the sober cousin of the traditionally alcoholic drink. Similar in smell and appearance, it's visually stunning and can be served alongside traditional cocktails for those who are abstaining from spirits.
I like to serve this in the hot summer months. But I also enjoy making it in the middle of winter when I need a reminder that the days will, in fact, warm up again and fresh mint will once again be growing in my garden and limes will be in season.
Likewise, it's ideal for backyard summertime entertaining where guests want a lighter drink as compared to Rose Lemonade (which is a variation of pink lemonade) or Rose Iced Tea.
Why You'll Love It
- It's non-alcoholic! If you have sober or sober-curious guests at dinner, this is perfect for them. Easy to make a double batch! Because it's already a pitcher drink you can easily double this recipe to accommodate a larger group. Just use a larger pitcher and double the ingredients.
- It's gorgeous! When hosting guests, presentation matters. The beautiful green pop from the mint and limes creates a subtle contrast with the pink drink.
Ingredients
- Rose Syrup - Rose syrup is the sweetener and backup flavor in the mojito. It should be fresh and chilled when you use it. While I recommend using homemade rose syrup, you can certainly buy it! Monin Rose Syrup, Collins Rose Simple Syrup, and Royal Rose Syrups are my three recommendations if you want to purchase it.
- Limes - Choose limes that have a very smooth skin and a nice yellow patch. This is an indication that the lime was able to stay on the tree longer and will yield more juice than limes with a very rough, bumpy exterior.
- Mint - There are many, mary varieties of mint. If possible, try to use mojito mint or spearmint. Both of these are what you typically find at grocery stores, although it's generally just called "mint." My pictures use Mojito Mint.
- Rosewater - Rose water will not add any taste to the drink, but it will greatly enhance its flavor. See the Ingredients section of my Rose Lemonade recipe to learn more about taste versus flavor.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Pick the Best Limes for Mojitos
On the left is a lime with smooth skin and a nice yellow patch. On the right, the lime is dark green and bumpy. I call this Dino Skin.
Here are the two limes cut open. The bumpy dark green lime is visibly more fibrous with cells that are less full, which means less juice. The smoother lime on the right has visibly more juice in each cell and will yield more juice when squeezed.
Variations
If you want to make it boozy, white rum is the recommended alcohol of choice.
Use lime sparkling water, like Bubbly, rather than plain seltzer, to increase the lime flavor.
If you want something similar but without mint, I'd recommend the Rose Ginger Lime Non-Alcoholic Sparkler.
Tips
Put the limes in first. Once you quarter the limes, place them in the pitcher first, then put the mint on top. As you press down with a muddler, it will thoroughly crush the mint between the limes and muddler, rather than just flattening the mint against the bottom of the pitcher. This way, more oil from the mint leaves will be released and incorporated into the drink.
Related: How to Pick the Best Limes
Gently stir the seltzer. This mint rose mojito isn't intended to be a heavily carbonated drink, but a little bit of carbonation helps mimic the bitter edge that alcohol would normally give it. So, while you don't want to stir out all the carbonation, a gentle stir to release some of it is very helpful.
Hosting Tips
Prepare the garnishes in advance. Selecting the beautiful sprigs of mint and preparing the lime garnishes in advance helps you assemble the drinks with ease just before you present them to guests. If you are slicing limes and selecting mint on a cup-by-cup basis, you'll leave lime juice fingerprints all over the glasses.
Be lavish with the garnishes! One of the simplest ways to add elegance and beauty to your event is to serve gorgeous drinks. Find the freshest, most fragrant mint you can, and don't skimp when garnishing the glasses. No, your guests won't eat the mint, but don't think of it as wasted! Decorating each glass with fresh mint and limes and spray roses, if you have them, essentially creates a small portable bouquet for each guest, making the tablescape even more beautiful.
Related: 10 Garnishes to Jazz Up Your Next Mocktail
Related
Are you looking for other drinks or flavored syrups? Here are some recommendations.
📖 Recipe
Mint Rose Mojito Mocktail
Equipment
- Muddler
- Medium pitcher
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rose Simple Syrup
- 3 Limes quartered
- 3 Large sprigs of fresh mint
- 3 12 ounce cans of lime seltzer
- 1 teaspoon Rose water
- Ice
Garnishes
- Lime wedges
- 6 Mint Sprigs
Instructions
- Fill 6 cups halfway with ice.
- In a medium pitcher, muddle mint leaves and limes together, thoroughly pushing on the limes and mint until all the juice has been released and the mint leaves are thoroughly bruised.
- Add rose syrup, one can of the seltzer and stir.
- Add remaining seltzer and gently stir.
- Divide the drink evenly among the prepared glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint and small lime wedge.
- Serve immediately.
Heather Wellington
I love this drink! It's one of my new favorites, I have it all the time. Sometimes I swap lemon juice for lime, and sometimes add a splash of ginger beer, you just can't go wrong with rose syrup, in my opinion! I've tried it with a bunch of different brands of lime seltzer, and I like spindrift or polar, but store brand was okay too, as kind as it's chilled.
Susan @ The James Street Home
Yes! This is so good with some ginger beer in it!
For those who don't know much about ginger beer, read more here: https://jamesstreethome.com/ginger-ale-vs-ginger-beer-quick-overview/