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Mojito vs Daiquiri
Two rum-and-lime classics — one topped with soda and mint, one shaken clean.
Which should you make?
Make the Daiquiri when you want to taste the rum and be finished in three minutes; make the Mojito when you want something long, cold and slow on a hot afternoon. The Daiquiri is also the better test of a rum — there is nowhere for a bad one to hide — while the Mojito's mint and soda will carry almost anything.
| Attribute | Mojito | Daiquiri |
|---|---|---|
| In a word | off-dry, sharp, very light, sparkling — a sour-structured drink served long, over ice. | off-dry, very sharp, very light — a sour-structured drink served straight up, no ice. |
| Structure | Sour-structured | Sour-structured |
| Family | Highball | Sour |
| Smells of | Mint, Citrus peel | Citrus peel |
| Technique | MuddlingFresh, green, immediate aroma that no syrup or liqueur reproduces, because it has not been heated or preserved. | ShakingA lighter, briefly frothy body and a cloudy appearance that settles as it stands. The aeration blunts alcoholic heat, which is why a shaken drink tastes softer than a stirred one of the same strength. |
| Base spirit | rum | rum |
| Strength | medium | medium |
| ABV | 8.3% | 20% |
| Calories | 160 kcal | 150 kcal |
| Sweetness | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Sourness | 3/5 | 4/5 |
| Bitterness | 0/5 | 0/5 |
| Prep time | 5 min | 5 min |
| Difficulty | easy | easy |
| Equipment | Muddler, Jigger, Bar spoon | Cocktail shaker, Jigger, Hawthorne strainer, Fine strainer (tea strainer) |
| Occasions | everyday, summer, party | everyday, summer, party |
| Alcohol-free option | Yes | No |
Choose the Mojito if you want something lighter in alcohol.
Choose the Daiquiri if you'd rather keep the calories down and you want something more spirit-forward.
Can you make both?
Both need: Fresh lime juice, Simple syrup, White rum.
- Only the Mojito
- Fresh mint leaves, Soda water
- Only the Daiquiri
- Nothing the other does not also need.
These are close enough that one extra purchase puts both within reach.
What actually separates them
how it is made
Mojito is muddled, Daiquiri is shaken. That is not a detail — it changes dilution, texture and how cold the drink arrives.
how much alcohol you are drinking
At 20% against 8.3%, the Daiquiri is roughly 2.4 times the strength in the glass — 2.4 UK units against 2.
Effectively identical on: sweetness, bitterness.