Cocktail & Other Recipes By Spirit Rum Cocktails

Winter Mojito

By
Liquor.com
Liquor.com

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Updated 05/3/21
A rounded Collins glass glows with warm light against a dark background. The glass is filled with ice cubes, mint and a light gold sparkling Mojito, and is garnished with a sprig of mint.

Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

The Mojito is a consummate summer libation: mint, rum, lime and club soda create a refreshing and intoxicating mix that begs to be sipped out on a beachfront, lawn or front porch on a sunny afternoon. But unless you live in the cocktail’s birthplace of Cuba or another tropical locale, it’s likely a good portion of the year involves fewer sunny afternoons and more cloudy, rainy and even snowy ones. That shouldn’t keep you from enjoying a Mojito any time of year, though, especially if it’s a rich and botanical variation like the Winter Mojito.

This all-season highball comes from Eden Laurin, a food and beverage consultant and a managing partner at Chicago’s famous Violet Hour, known for its bold and experimental cocktail program. In the pursuit of the perfect cold-weather take on a Mojito, Laurin spices aged rum with warming cinnamon, cloves and star anise. A splash of Licor 43—a Spanish liqueur flavored with vanilla, herbs and spices—adds aromatics, and demerara syrup adds darkness and caramel notes.

While there are plenty of options for spiced rum that do not involve home infusion—such as Kraken, Cruzan 9 Spiced Rum, and Sailor Jerry—making spiced rum at home provides the opportunity to customize the flavor profile. Laurin’s recipe calls for cinnamon, clove and star anise, but feel free to tweak to your preferences. Adding ginger would bring the drink closer to a Dark ’N Stormy, another delicious winter rum drink. A bit of nutmeg and orange peel add up to a lovely holiday sipper that behaves as well in a Spiced Eggnog or Hot Buttered Rum as it does in the Winter Mojito. And an ingredient as unconventional as dried peppers can add a fiery kick to warm your insides during the colder months; just be sure to check for balance before you overdo it.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces homemade spiced rum*

  • 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

  • 1/2 ounce demerara syrup

  • 1 mint sprig

  • 1 ounce club soda, to top

  • 1 teaspoon Licor 43 liqueur

  • Garnish: mint sprig

Steps

  1. Add the spiced rum, lime juice and demerara syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

  2. Double-strain the drink into a Collins glass with fresh ice and a mint sprig.

  3. Top with club soda.

  4. Garnish with a mint sprig, and slowly pour the liqueur over the leaves and the top of the drink.

*Homemade spiced rum: Add 1 stick of cinnamon, 5 crushed cloves and 3 crushed star anise pods to one 750 mL bottle of aged rum. Let steep for at least 12 hours or until desired flavor is achieved, then strain out solids. Add the rum back into the bottle or another sealed container.