Dreaming of the Perfect Mojito in South Florida

The frosty mix of rum, sugar, lime, mint and soda is easy to drink but hard to perfect. Explore the places doing it right and the drink's history in Miami. By Matthew Kronsberg | Photos by James Jackman for WSJ March 18, 2022 Tap story

The mojito has been saddled with a bit of a bad reputation among cocktail cognoscenti: Overzealous bartenders often debauch it with too much sugar, too much booze, or fruit and other flavors, misdeeds that add more color than coherence.

“Cuban folklore traces the Mojito’s origin back to 1586,” reads the Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails, “when Sir Francis Drake’s crew cured their fever with a similar mixture.”

This browser does not support the video element. Versions of the cocktail knocked around the island, both as a preventive for cholera and as a way to make harsh rum more palatable. In the early 20th century, with the addition of soda and ice, the mojito as we now know it emerged.

Then, with generations of immigrants, it took root in Miami before colonizing brunch tables the world over. In Miami, it’s ubiquitous. We found some of the best mojitos in South Florida →

The Guava Twist Miami was arguably built on guavas. The guava mojito at Mamey, in the Thesis hotel in Coral Gables, keeps that spirit alive, using Redland guavas grown nearby.

The Benchmark The Mojito Criollo at Cafe La Trova is made the way co-owner Julio Cabrera learned, and once taught, in Cuba. “Never a straw!” he said, explaining that the mint should tickle your nose when you bring the glass to your lips.

The Sweet Surprise Cervecería la Tropical cooks fresh-pressed sugarcane juice with granulated sugar to make simple syrup for its Gurapo Mojito. The brewery’s 10,000 square foot garden has everything from gumbo limbo trees and rare orchids to a patch of mentha x villosa—true “mojito mint."

The Scene Stealer The specialty cocktails at the Cleat, in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, were created by Gabe Urrutia, author of the upcoming book “Drink Like a Local Miami: The Insider’s Guide to South Beach and the Magic City.” The El Farito Mojito, named for the park’s lighthouse, has a splash of guava purée and a whisper of coconut syrup.

The Off-the-Menu Stars Swizzle Rum Bar & Drinkery doesn't have a mojito on the menu, but that doesn't mean you can't get one. With about 150 rums on offer, this is the place to explore how different spirits can subtly (or radically) shift the character of a classic.

Another top-flight, off-menu mojito can be found in Little River at Sunny’s Steakhouse, an outdoor restaurant arrayed around (and beneath) a massive banyan tree. Ask for one made with La Favorite agricole rhum from Martinique.

This browser does not support the video element. Can't get to Miami? Make your own Café La Trova’s Mojito Criollo In a highball glass, swirl 3/4 oz (22 ml) lime juice with 1/2 tbsp white granulated sugar until dissolved. Lightly muddle in 8-10 mint leaves . Fill glass with cracked ice, add 2 oz white rum , top with soda water , and stir. Garnish with a dash of angostura on top, a mint sprig and a cocktail stirrer.

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