Why it works: Lime and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,289 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
The Red Mojito
makes about 1 cup of strawberry juiceIngredients
Directions
Make the strawberry juice
Place thawed berries, including juice, in a very fine-mesh strainer or chinois. Push through as much juice as possible. Discard berries.
Add lemon or lime juice to strawberry juice and serve or use in drink recipes.
Makes about 1 cup.
Assemble the drink
Combine lime juice and mint leaves in the bottom of a highball glass; use a wooden spoon to muddle mint.
Stir in rum and strawberry juice.
Fill glass with ice cubes and top with club soda.
Stir.
Garnish glass with a lime slice and a whole strawberry, and serve.
This recipe may be made up to 1 hour in advance.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Strawberry | 1 cup (152g) | 49 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Rum | 1/2 oz (15ml) | 32 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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 + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,289 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Lime + minttop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together846 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Mint + lemontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,998 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Rum + strawberrytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together105 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).
-
Mint + strawberrytop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together263 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fresh mint leaves
- Gives the drink its aroma when bruised by muddling.
- Lime juice
- Adds acidity that balances the sweetness of the strawberry juice.
- White rum
- Provides the spirit base and body of the drink.
- Strawberry juice
- Supplies the fruit flavour, colour and sweetness.
- Club soda
- Adds carbonation that lightens the drink and gives it fizz.
The step that matters
Muddle the mint gently. Pressing mint too hard tears the leaves and releases bitter chlorophyll-like flavours, while too little pressure leaves the aroma locked in. A light press with a wooden spoon releases the oils cleanly.
Swap the strawberry
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lime, mint, rum, sugar, lemon):
- Mangofits better
- Orangefits better
- Pineapplefits better
- Strawberrythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against lime, mint, rum, sugar, lemon. 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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