Muddle Brown Sugar With Your Limes For The Ultimate Mojito

The Mojito is an iconic Cuban cocktail known for how refreshing it is. But what if one simple ingredient swap could add depth and complexity without sacrificing any of that cooling character? In addition to lime juice, white rum, mint leaves, and club soda, the classic Mojito recipe calls for white sugar, typically in the form of a simple syrup. But, you could be depriving yourself of warmer, more caramelly notes that play beautifully with the drink's citrusy acid and earthy mint by using that white sugar instead of brown sugar.

Muddled together with lime, brown sugar is a game-changer that mixology pros often employ in Mojitos as well as in Caipirinhas because of the rich contrast of brown sugar's baked-dessert notes against the lime's brightness. Really, it's as basic as brown sugar contributing flavor at all, because white sugar only adds sweetness. This is due to the inherent differences between white sugar and brown sugar. Both types of sugar are harvested from sugar cane or sugar beet plants, purified, and heated into molasses. 

Then, the sugar crystals are separated out from that molasses, and white sugar is processed even further, while brown sugar retains more of the molasses — unrefined brown sugar is just less processed, while refined has had molasses added back in. Because of that molasses content, brown sugar treats your Mojito to a less toothachingly sweet factor, with added notes of caramel, honey, and toffee. The cocktail's lime and mint brighten these flavors, and could even create a Key lime pie-like taste.

The first step to working brown sugar into your new-and-improved Mojito is choosing the sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses content than light brown sugar, so will have more of a noticeable effect. Of course, you can start with light brown sugar to ease into this flavor profile, but dark brown sugar is best for a fully enriched, caramel-enhanced cocktail. It's also key to use a finer grain of brown sugar so it actually dissolves into the drink, giving you flavor without a gritty texture. For proportions, start with 1 or 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, which you'll use to muddle with your lime wedges before you add rum and ice and shake in a cocktail shaker. 

If you want more flavor and sweetness, you can work your way up to a tablespoon. Or, instead of muddling in the brown sugar, you can use it to make a simple syrup, just like you would with white sugar. As a reminder, the basics of simple syrup are indeed simple: Just heat 1 part sugar and 1 part water over low heat on the stove until the sugar totally dissolves. Do this with brown sugar, and you have an easy-to-add source of flavor. Muddle it with your mint leaves, pour in your rum and lime juice, shake, pour into a highball glass, add ice and club soda, and enjoy.