Gin Mojito

Say hello to your new favorite summer cocktail! Our gin mojito is an herbal twist on a classic that’s made with fresh basil instead of mint for bright and fresh summer flavor.

Mojitos are probably my favorite summer cocktail. They’re sweet, a little zingy, and so refreshing on a hot day. But since I’ve been on a gin kick lately, I thought I’d shake up my mojitos by pairing the herbal flavors of gin with another of my favorite summer flavors: fresh basil!

This gin basil mojito is honestly even better than I imagined it would be. The flavors play so well with the lime and simple syrup traditionally found in a mojito. And the basil is so fresh and fragrant in every sip. It really is the perfect summer cocktail, especially if you prefer more botanical flavors over the sweetness of rum.

The best part about this drink is that it’s easy to have the ingredients on hand all summer long. We have a basil plant on our balcony right now, and nearly every summer grocery trip involves an entire bag of limes (we eat a LOT of Mexican food this time of year…). Just 5 minutes, no special grocery trip, and I’m sipping on a mojito whenever I want. It’s pure summer bliss! 

What This Recipe Entails

Inspired by a classic mojito, you’ll make this cocktail by muddling fresh basil and lime, then adding gin and other ingredients before shaking, straining, and topping off with club soda. It’s a straightforward recipe that’s easy to make in just a few minutes!

• Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

A classic mojito is made with rum, mint leaves, lime, simple syrup, and club soda. So for our mojito inspired gin basil cocktail, we’ve swapped the rum and mint for gin and basil. Simple as that!

• Gin – We prefer making this cocktail with London dry gin, which is unsweetened and therefore has a cleaner, more herbal flavor than other types of gin. Its botanical flavor profile plays perfectly with the fresh basil and lime in this mojito.
• Fresh basil – You’ll need fresh basil leaves so that you can muddle them, like you would muddle mint for a traditional mojito. Dried basil won’t work here, because the purpose of muddling is to extract the oils from the fresh leaves.
• Fresh limes – As with any cocktail, the quality of your ingredients is super important! Freshly squeezed lime juice provides the bright acidity and freshness to this drink that you just can’t get from the bottled stuff.
• Simple syrup – You can easily make your own with a 1 to 1 ratio of granulated sugar and water. Heat the water over the stove, mix in the sugar until it’s fully dissolved, then let it cool before using or storing in the fridge. It’ll keep pretty much indefinitely. We always have a Chubby bottle full of simple syrup in our fridge!
• Club soda – You can also use unflavored bubbly water if you prefer, as there’s really not much difference. We often just pop a bottle in our SodaStream to make carbonated water for cocktails instead of buying club soda from the store.

Equipment

You’ll need a few essential bar tools to make a good gin mojito at home:

• Muddler
• Shaker
• Hawthorne strainer
• Bar spoon

We bought this 11-piece cocktail shaker set a while ago, and it has everything we’ve ever needed for mixing up craft cocktails at home! You can also easily find these tools a la carte from local home and kitchen stores.

How To Make A Gin Mojito

1. Muddle – Add the fresh basil and lime juice to the shaker and muddle.
2. Shake – Add the gin and simple syrup to the shaker, then shake gently to combine the ingredients. Don’t add ice yet – you want to avoid bruising the fresh basil.
3. Chill – Now, add a few large ice cubes to the shaker and briefly shake again to chill the drink.
4. Strain – Strain into a tall glass filled with ice using a Hawthorne strainer (this type of strainer will catch any very small pieces of basil or lime pulp, preventing them from getting into your drink). 
5. Top off and serve – Add the club soda. Optionally garnish with fresh lime wedges and basil, and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

This fresh, herbal mojito is the perfect cocktail for summer sipping! We love these for an at-home happy hour and summer date nights.

If you try our gin mojito recipe, let us know what you think by rating and commenting below. Cheers! 

Love this recipe? You may enjoy these other summer cocktail recipes, too:

• Spicy Strawberry Mojito
• Caipirinha With Rum
• Rosemary Vodka Lemonade
• Pineapple Coconut Margarita
• Mango Mai Tai