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Mojito vs Old Cuban
The same rum, mint and lime, treated as a long refresher or as a serious drink in a coupe.
Which should you make?
Same flavours, completely different occasions. The Mojito is long, built over ice and made to drink slowly in the heat. The Old Cuban is aged rum rather than white, shaken and strained into a coupe and topped with sparkling wine — shorter, stronger and considerably more elegant. Make the Mojito on a hot afternoon and the Old Cuban when people arrive.
| Attribute | Mojito |  Old Cuban |
|---|---|---|
| In a word | off-dry, sharp, very light, sparkling — a sour-structured drink served long, over ice. | sweet, sharp, very light, sparkling — a sour-structured drink served long, over ice. |
| Structure | Sour-structured | Sour-structured |
| Family | Highball | Sour |
| Smells of | Mint, Citrus peel | Mint |
| 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% | 14% |
| Calories | 160 kcal | 215 kcal |
| Sweetness | 2/5 | 3/5 |
| Sourness | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Bitterness | 0/5 | 1/5 |
| Prep time | 5 min | 6 min |
| Difficulty | easy | medium |
| Equipment | Muddler, Jigger, Bar spoon | Cocktail shaker, Hawthorne strainer, Fine strainer (tea strainer), Jigger |
| Occasions | everyday, summer, party | celebration, dinner, date-night |
| Alcohol-free option | Yes | No |
Choose the Mojito if you'd rather keep the calories down and you want something lighter in alcohol.
Choose the Old Cuban if you want something more spirit-forward and you prefer a sweeter drink.
Can you make both?
Both need: Fresh mint leaves, Fresh lime juice, Simple syrup.
- Only the Mojito
- White rum, Soda water
- Only the Old Cuban
- Aged gold rum, Angostura bitters, Dry sparkling wine, to top
What actually separates them
how it is made
Mojito is muddled, Old Cuban is shaken. That is not a detail — it changes dilution, texture and how cold the drink arrives.
how much alcohol you are drinking
At 14% against 8.3%, the Old Cuban is roughly 1.7 times the strength in the glass — 2.2 UK units against 2.
Effectively identical on: sourness.