Warm Up Your Mojito With Fall Flavors

The classic mojito is perhaps the summeriest of all cocktails. Zingy lime juice plays off bright, fresh mint, kicked up with white rum, simple syrup, and some sparkles from club soda. The mojito is the ultimate poolside sipper, full of refreshing ingredients and with an icy clarity that makes summer's heat and humidity more tolerable. Summer inexorably leads to fall, however, and as leaves don autumnal hues, fall produce ripens, begging to be incorporated into our favorite cocktails with rich, warming flavors.

Sure, you could swap out your cocktail choices, just like you do your wardrobe, opting for an old fashioned or moving straight to egg nog or ponche crema, but there's no need to completely abandon the mojito when the temperature drops. And, if you're looking to warm up your mojito game, there's no need to look any further than your local cider mill or farm stand: Freshly picked apples yield the perfect ingredient to help transition your beloved mojito to fall.

MasterClass helps you layer up your mojito when the weather turns cool, preserving the fresh lime and mint in the original recipe, while adding fresh apple cider and fall spices for autumnal complexity. Fresh apple cider is key to the recipe, as its unadulterated liveliness can't be matched by plain old apple juice. Southern Living points out that fresh apple cider is only available seasonally and isn't as sweet as apple juice, so it's worth seeking out the real deal.

While your summer mojito calls for white rum, A Taste for Travel suggests adding spiced rum to add depth to your fall cocktail. To your apple cider mojito, you can add the typical simple syrup as a sweetener, or you can opt for even more delicious maple syrup. Warm spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger can all play a role as well. 

Once you've assembled your fall mojito ingredients, the finished cocktail can be served chilled, or you can warm your apple cider mojito on the stovetop and serve it in cozy mugs. One cautionary note: A single apple cider mojito may not be enough, in which case The Cookie Rookie explains how to make 'em by the pitcher. And, if you're looking for an even more complex way to winterize your mojito, try our delicious curried apple mojito.