The best non-alcoholic mojito recipes
Refreshing and tasty drink is especially relevant in summer. But at other times of the year, it will be a great addition to the festive table or the main focus of a friendly party. And for all these cases, the best non-alcoholic mojito recipes will certainly come in handy.
What is included?
Non-alcoholic mojito is very easy to make at home. Children will even participate in this process with pleasure if the drink is prepared for them. Moreover, you don’t have to use complex household electrical appliances in making homemade mojitos. The traditional non-alcoholic recipe consists of the following components:
- lemon or lime;
- mint leaves;
- sugar;
- carbonated water (mineral, Sprite, Schweppes and similar options);
- ice cubes.
The traditional version with lemon and mint should be prepared as follows:
- mint is thoroughly kneaded with a pusher or spoon so that the leaves give juice and a pronounced smell of mint appears;
- wash the lime or lemon, cut it in half, remove the seeds, squeeze the juice into a glass;
- add sugar to taste, mix well with mint and citrus juice;
- then add ice cubes;
- fill it all with sparkling water.
You can not add sugar, it all depends on what kind of water is used - sweet or not.
But it doesn't have to be that drink.To make the taste brighter and richer or acquire new original notes, different ingredients are added to it. You can experiment and find your own unique taste.
Pros and cons
The main advantage of homemade mojito is that it is prepared from natural and fresh products, which means it has a certain supply of useful substances. Limes and lemons alone contain a huge amount of vitamin C. In addition, in both fruits, as well as in mint, vitamins A and group B are present in sufficient quantities. All this makes the drink very useful for keeping the body in good shape. If other natural ingredients are present, the value of the drink only increases.
The undeniable advantage is that such a composition will very well refresh in the heat, quench your thirst and just allow you to enjoy the wonderful taste. Cons can only be if, for example, not mineral water is used, but sweet soda, which does not bring any benefit. In addition, you need to ensure that the drink is not too cold due to the presence of ice.
Especially with caution, you need to use it for children, otherwise problems with the throat cannot be avoided. Such a composition will not be useful for those who are allergic to citrus fruits.
calories
The calories contained in this type of drink of the traditional version are low. A serving of the drink can contain up to 39 kcal, while proteins - 0.3 g, carbohydrates - 7.7 g, no fats. So even those who are on a diet can sometimes treat themselves to a refreshing drink. If you exclude sugar and sweet water, it will be even safer for the figure..
But it is also worth considering that when adding various ingredients, the calorie content may increase.Especially do not be zealous with sugar.
Popular Recipes
Despite the fact that mojito without alcohol has a traditional cooking option, there are many different recipes. It is worth considering some types so that you can always make a cocktail at home, please children or surprise guests.
Classical
The well-known version with classic ingredients is better to do immediately in a large decanter, and then pour into glasses and add ice cubes at the last moment. A drink is prepared from lime or lemon (both fruits can be added), mint and sparkling water, sugar is added if desired. This is the easiest recipe that can be prepared very quickly.
The main thing is to knead the mint well and squeeze the juice from citrus fruits to the maximum. If it is difficult to do it yourself, and the volume is large enough, you can use a citrus juicer. This will speed up the process.
With water without "Sprite"
You can also make mojitos at home with ordinary purified water. The taste will be no worse, the ingredients remain the same. But instead of a sprite, the basis will be pure drinking water. There will simply be no bubbles in such lemonade. Many people think that just such an option is much more useful.
With "Schweppes"
Another cooking method involves the use of Schweppes, which will give the drink a spicy bitterness. Used as components lemon or lime, mint, a little sugar if necessary.
With mineral water
Any mineral water is useful. Therefore, it is not only possible to cook mojito on its basis, but it is necessary. Natural fruits and herbs will only enhance the benefits of such a drink that can be safely given to children to quench their thirst on a summer day.
Cherry
Cherry juice or syrup, if any, and natural berries, will give the mojito a different shade of taste. To prepare, do the following:
- first, the juice from the lemon is squeezed out, then the mint leaves are crushed, we send these components into a glass;
- then the glass is half filled with cherry juice, if it is syrup, then one tablespoon is enough;
- the rest of the glass is filled with any selected soda, if you want to get a carbonated drink;
- if you want to get a cocktail without soda, clean water is added to the glass.
with soda
All cooking options are generally similar. The compositions differ only in additional components and the use of different liquids. Mojitos are prepared using ordinary sparkling water, which the Americans, for example, call soda.
You can make your own water at home. It is enough to add half a teaspoon of soda and a teaspoon of citric acid per liter of water. This will be the basis of the future drink, to which fruit juice, juices or syrups, as well as mint are further added.
Strawberry
Fresh strawberry juice will give the drink a new taste. But strawberry juice from the store or syrup from this berry is also suitable. As with cherry juice, the glass is half filled with juice and half filled with water. A couple of delicious strawberries and a mint leaf will complement the cocktail.
with peaches
For this option, you will need some fresh fruit. Part of it needs to be cut into thin slices, they will come in handy as a decoration, chop the rest in a blender. To them you should add fresh lemon juice, grated mint, any sparkling water, decorate the cocktail with peach slices on top.
Citrus
If there is a desire to give the drink a richer taste, in addition to the main components, you can use any citrus fruits to give the drink an orange, tangerine or grapefruit hue. To do this, it is enough to add freshly squeezed juice of an orange, tangerine or grapefruit to the lime. Citrus slices will be a good decoration for the drink.
watermelon
A good addition to a refreshing drink is watermelon. To do this, remove all the bones from the watermelon, peel, place the pulp in a blender and mix. Then add lime, mint, sparkling water.
cucumber
Cucumber and citrus are ground in a blender. Then the resulting composition must be filtered, mint, Sprite or Schweppes can be added to it, you can use half a teaspoon of liquid honey, and at the final stage - a few ice cubes.
Currant
In this case, fresh berries will have to be crushed in a blender, and then strain the composition. Other berries can be added to currants, such as blueberries or honeysuckle. Further preparation is traditional and includes the addition of mint, lime and the selected liquid option.
pineapple
The use of fresh pineapples, which will need to be chopped in a blender, will give a special taste, canned pieces, and just pineapple juice or syrup will do. If the fruits are ground in a blender, then traditional ingredients are added to them. When using juice, it is mixed in equal proportions with water.
Provided that it is a concentrated syrup, a couple of tablespoons will suffice.
with pepper
This option is for the thrill-seeker. To do this, you need to add a pinch of ground red pepper pods to all the ingredients. In order to slightly balance the taste, you can supplement the drink with a spoonful of honey.
Recommendations
With a huge selection of recipe options you need to consider who this drink is intended for, and follow some recommendations.
- For kids as a supplement, it is better to use fresh fruits and berries - peaches, pineapples, oranges, strawberries, cherries. It is better to do without ice or put one cube for beauty and a pleasant ringing. As liquids, simple clean water without gas or juice is suitable. If you really need bubbles, it is better to take mineral water.
- Adults you can add both pepper and cucumber, and experiment with different sodas. And ice can also be spared, especially in hot weather.
- All products must be fresh, and the drink is served and consumed immediately after preparation. It is not advisable to store it even in the refrigerator for a long time, a maximum of an hour.
- Mojito should be served in tall transparent glasses with long tubes., you can decorate the drink with mint leaves, fruit slices and fresh berries.
- Despite the fact that the drink is very tasty, It should not be used in unlimited quantities by adults or children.. On a hot day, a couple of glasses are enough.
For how to make non-alcoholic mojito, see the following video.