This kiwi mojito is a riff on a classic Cuban cocktail. Sweet, clean and herbaceous, this green mixed drink fits right into the St. Patrick’s Day color scheme, yet is refreshing enough to enjoy all summer long.
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The Search For More Than Green Beer
Don’t get me wrong, I like green beer as much as the next person. If we’re being honest, I would happily drink beer of any color.
But variety is the spice of life, as they say. So, this year, I thought I would shake things up by broadening my St. Patrick’s Day refreshment repertoire.
This required a major brainstorming sesh. What green things would make a worthy cocktail? Now, for some bizarre reason, my brain kept reverting to grass. Thanks, brain, super helpful. Yes, grass is green, but I don’t want to drink it. Or eat it.
So after resorting to Googling green things – and my search history will legit confirm that I Googled green things – I settled on incorporating kiwi into something magically delicious to drink for St. Patrick’s Day.
Some of you may be questioning if I need a cocktail given I couldn’t rub two brain cells together to come up with things that are green. The answer, of course, is yes. I do. I daresay I need a minimum of two 😉
Why Kiwi For A Mojito?
Frankly, kiwis take me back to my childhood when my cousin and I used to run around the neighborhood until twilight, only returning home to refuel.
We used to sit outside and eat a halved kiwi with a spoon while drinking Kool-Aid and discussing all of the imminent shenanigans we were determined to create. Ah, sweet memories 🙂
To this day, I enjoy the tropical sweetness of kiwis. So, kiwi seemed like the perfect fruit for a mojito variation. Kiwi + rum = yes, please!
Benefits of Kiwi
I’m a sucker for things that taste good AND are good for you. Kiwi fits right into that category.
According to an article published by Medical News Today, kiwifruit is a good source of essential nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium and fiber. So consuming kiwis can be beneficial in promoting regularity, heart health and collagen production.
Kiwi is also a proud member of the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 2021 Clean Fifteen. So the kiwi you purchase is less likely to contain harmful pesticides. Which is great because I’m not a big fan of consuming pesticides.
Tips and Tricks
- If you’re like me and you do not own a cocktail jigger, don’t fret. While I sadly remain jiggerless, I do have a plethora of medicinal measuring cups that work just as well to measure out liquor. One ounce is roughly equivalent to 30 milliliters. It may not be classy but it works, and it allows me to repurpose something I already own.
- The first time I made this kiwi mojito, I just muddled the kiwi together with the other ingredients. Now, this produced a beautiful-to-look-at final product, but it was a bit difficult to drink once I neared the end of the glass. I had to sorta eat the last bit of it. Which I did, because I’m not going to waste rum-soaked kiwi. And I was pretty hungry. But I’d rather not do that on the regular. So if you prefer to drink your beverages versus eat them, don’t skip on blending the kiwi before adding to the cocktail.
- For this recipe, I used vanilla rum and vanilla sugar because I had both on hand. Any white rum will suffice for this drink, and regular granulated sugar is fine to use. I also used lime-flavored sparkling water since I had it. But regular sparkling water or club soda would work as well.
Method
Blend kiwi until smooth. I actually use a coffee grinder for this, but a blender or food processor would work as well.
Muddle together sugar, lime juice and mint.
Add blended kiwi and rum.
Add crushed ice and top with sparkling water.
Stir gently.
Serve with desired garnish and enjoy!
Kiwi Mojito
Ingredients
- 1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
- 2 oz vanilla rum or any white rum
- 2 mint sprigs + more for garnish if desired
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 oz lime juice
- sparkling water to taste or enough to fill glass
- crushed ice
Instructions
- Blend kiwi until smooth.
- Muddle together sugar, lime juice and mint.
- Add blended kiwi and rum.
- Add crushed ice and top with sparkling water.
- Stir gently.
- Serve with desired garnish and enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re like me and you do not own a cocktail jigger, don’t fret. While I sadly remain jiggerless, I do have a plethora of medicinal measuring cups that work just as well to measure out liquor. One ounce is roughly equivalent to 30 milliliters. It may not be classy but it works, and it allows me to repurpose something I already own.
- The first time I made this kiwi mojito, I just muddled the kiwi together with the other ingredients. Now, this produced a beautiful-to-look-at final product, but it was a bit difficult to drink once I neared the end of the glass. I had to sorta eat the last bit of it. Which I did, because I’m not going to waste rum-soaked kiwi. And I was pretty hungry. But I’d rather not do that on the regular. So if you prefer to drink your beverages versus eat them, don’t skip on blending the kiwi before adding to the cocktail.
- For this recipe, I used vanilla rum and vanilla sugar because I had both on hand. Any white rum will suffice for this drink, and regular granulated sugar is fine to use. I also used lime-flavored sparkling water since I had it. But regular sparkling water or club soda would work as well.
Give a kiwi mojito a try and let me know what you think in the comments!
Cheers to you 🙂
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This is perfect! I love kiwi and mojitos! Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Brandi! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Cheers to you 🙂
This looks absolutely amazing! I’m a huge kiwi fan and I’ll definitely be trying it!
That’s great, Lindsay! Enjoy!
Okay, YUM. Two things I love all together!
It’s a winner, for sure!
It looks and sounds so refreshing. It doesn’t hurt that I like kiwi as a fruit. I don’t drink so would it taste good without alcohol? (the ingredients suit my tastebuds 🙂 )
Kiwi is so underrated considering how delicious it is! This would be equally refreshing alcohol-free. Simply omit the rum and add a little more sparkling water. Lime-flavored sparkling water is especially perfect for this 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how the alcohol-free version turns out for you!
Wow! Looks amazing. I love kiwis and lime. I can’t wait to try this out.
Thanks, Christine! I love limes for sweet and savory and everything in between! It pairs super well with the kiwi in this drink. I hope you enjoy!
Looks yummy!
Thank you, Ahuva! Enjoy!
Perfect summer cocktail!!!
Hi Courtney! This one is a keeper and definitely a good fit for hot summer days 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!