Why it works: Lime and mint match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 846 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Mojito I
Ingredients
Directions
Build the drink
Squeeze lime into a chilled 10‑oz glass, add sugar and mint.
Muddle until sugar is dissolved.
Fill the glass with crushed ice and pour in the rum.
Swizzle until the glass frosts, adding more crushed ice and rum as needed.
Finish and serve
Garnish with mint leaves and serve with a straw.
Optionally top off the drink with cold club soda or a dash of dark rum.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Rum | 1/2 oz (15ml) | 32 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Peppermint | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Lime + minttop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together846 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Rum + minttop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together139 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Rum + limetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together412 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Rum + sugartop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,908 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Lime + sugartop 29% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,332 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Light rum
- Forms the spirit base that gives the drink its alcohol and main body.
- Lime
- Adds the sharp acidity that balances the sweetness of the sugar.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps draw the oils out of the mint when muddled.
- Mint leaves
- Provide the fresh, aromatic herbal character of the drink.
The step that matters
Swizzle until the glass frosts. Swizzling crushed ice chills the drink and dilutes it slightly, while the frosting on the glass shows the ice has cooled it enough. Stopping too early leaves the drink warm and harsh, and adding too much ice or rum without tasting can throw off the balance.
Swap the mint
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (rum, lime, sugar):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerfits better
- Corianderfits about as well
- Mintthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against rum, lime, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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