Mojitos in winter? We’ll raise a glass to that. Dark rum and the less summery herbal notes of sage, rosemary, and thyme (is anyone else humming Simon & Garfunkel?) lend this cocktail a decidedly winter feel, while the lime juice and soda remind us that it’s still the cocktail we know and love.–Angie Zoobkoff
What if I don’t have fresh herbs?
If you don’t have an array of herbs on hand or you simply want (need?!) to make this cocktail in a hurry, it can easily be made using standard simple syrup. Follow the winter herb syrup recipe, omitting the herbs. When making the cocktail, muddle the rosemary sprig a bit in the shaker after combining it with the simple syrup to release its flavor. Proceed as directed.
Winter Mojito
Ingredients
For the winter herb syrup*
- 2 large sprigs rosemary
- 2 bunches thyme
- 5 sage leaves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
For the winter mojito
- 1 large sprig rosemary, plus more for garnish
- 3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoon) winter herb syrup
- 2 ounces black rum
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Soda water, to top
- Sliced lime
Instructions
Make the winter herb syrup
- In a small saucepan over low heat, gently combine the herbs, sugar, and water, and stir until the sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let the ingredients cool for at least 1 hour so the flavors can mingle. Strain into a glass jar or other resealable container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Make the winter mojito
- Toss the rosemary sprig in a cocktail shaker along with the herb syrup and let it sit for a few minutes. Add the rum, lime juice, and ice and shake.
- Strain the cocktail into a collins glass filled with more ice. Top with soda to taste and garnish with lime and a sprig of rosemary. Originally published December 26, 2018.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I am most definitely serving this on Christmas!! I adore rosemary, and it’s definitely something I consider to be a flavor of the holidays. I’m betting that the herby syrup can also be used for lots of fun mocktails, too!
This turned out to be a very good cocktail. I made the herb syrup and it really gave the cocktail great herbal notes. The rosemary was in the forefront as expected, but sage was also noticed. The drink was refreshing and not too sweet. Much less sweet than a summer mojito. This was very much to my wife’s liking.
The winter mojito was tasty and refreshing and the rosemary and black rum gave it a warmth that was very different from your typical cool mint mojito or tequila-based Mexican mojito.
The lime balanced the sweetness of the syrup and rum well, and I liked that you could adjust the amount of soda to make the drink as strong or weak as you prefer. I added about 2 ounces soda to top off the drink.
What a fun cocktail! It’s familiar yet different. The lime definitely comes through so it has that mojito feel, yet with the black rum and rosemary it’s decidedly different.
I used the winter herb simple syrup and loved it. And again, easily scalable if you want more or less. I’ll say that I was surprised at the amount, as it makes way more syrup than what is needed for the drink recipe. You can easily cut the recipe in half, though, or the syrup keeps for quite a long time in the fridge. For soda, I added 1/2 to 1 ounce per drink
The best part is you can easily adapt the cocktail recipe to make as much as you want.
I am not a great fan of mint, so I liked this drink way more than a traditional mojito. It provided seasonal refreshment perfect for a Phoenix winter. 🌵☁️🌴
Thanks, Leah. That looks perfect!