The Mojito Diablo is a fun Mexican spin on the classic Cuban cocktail, swapping rum for tequila.
The well balanced drink combines blanco tequila, creme de cassis, brown sugar, lime juice, fresh mint leaves and a splash of soda.
The resulting taste is a mint-lime-berry infusion with an underlying sweetness from the molasses-forward brown sugar. If you call yourself a tequila fan we know you’ll love the Mexican Mojito Diablo!
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What Is A Mexican Mojito Diablo?
The Mojito is a classic cocktail traditionally made with rum that originated in Cuba.
The popular Cuban highball consists of 5 ingredients: white rum, cane sugar, lime juice, soda water and fresh mint. It offers a flavour profile featuring sweetness, citrus and herbaceousness. These flavours compliment the rum, making it one of the most popular summer sippers.
Havana is the birthplace of the Mojito, although its exact origins are up for debate. Cocktail historians often mention two potential origin stories for the drink.
South American indigenous communities had remedies for various tropical illnesses, so a small boarding party went to Cuba and came back with ingredients for an effective medicine. The ingredients were aguardiente de caña (translated as “burning water”, a crude form of rum made from sugar cane) mixed with local tropical ingredients: lime, sugarcane juice, and mint. The drink helped prevent scurvy.
Another theory is that it was invented by Sir Francis Drake. The “El Draque” cocktail was prepared with brandy. While this drink was not called a mojito at the time, it was the original combination of these ingredients.
The mojito has routinely been presented as a favourite drink of celebrated author Ernest Hemingway. It was also later popularized to a global audience in an award-winning James Bond film.
The Mojito Diablo takes inspiration from the classic Caribbean cocktail by shaking together Mexican white tequila, creme de cassis blackcurrant liqueur, brown sugar, lime juice, fresh mint leaves and soda water for a fizzy sparkling finish.
Ingredients
This refreshing Mexican cocktail recipe is best served in a handsome rocks glass.
- White Tequila: use a quality blanco tequila like Dobel, Patron or Don Julio.
- Creme de Cassis: French blackcurrant liqueur infuses the drink with a pretty pink colour and rich red berry flavour.
- Brown Sugar: sweeten the drink with this molasses-forward sweetener.
- Lime Juice: always use freshly squeezed citrus never concentrate, you can taste the difference.
- Mint Leaves: fresh mint leaves give the drink it’s signature herbaceous flavour making it a “mojito.”
- Soda Water: sparkling water gives the drink a fizzy effervescent finish.
- Garnish: decorate each glass with a fresh mint sprig.
Directions
This Mexican Mojito recipe is so easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes!
- PREPARE THE GLASS: Begin by preparing your cocktail glass. If desired, you can fill each rocks glass with ice to ensure they are well chilled. Set the glass aside while you prepare the drink.
- DISSOLVE THE SUGAR: Muddle the brown sugar with fresh mint and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with a bar spoon. This helps the mint release it’s natural oils.
- SHAKE & STRAIN: Fill the cocktail shaker with ice and then add tequila and creme de cassis. Secure the lid on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds. This step is essential for chilling the ingredients and ensuring proper dilution. Once shaken, strain the cocktail into a chilled glass filled with ice cubes.
- GARNISH & SERVE: Top with a splash of soda and garnish with fresh mint sprig.
Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
Best Tequila For A Mexican Mojito Diablo
We recommend sipping a variety of tequila bottles in order to find your favourite. Each brand has a unique method for harvesting agave, distilling and aging & barreling the final product.
Here are the world’s top selling tequila brands worthy of being muddled into homemade Mojito Diablo:
Mexican Mojito Diablo Cocktail Recipe Tips
- We suggest serving a Mexican Mojito in an elegant rocks glass.
- While we like to use white tequila when making this cocktail you can add additional flavour by using a well aged reposado or añejo. If you like a smoky flavour you can swap tequila for Mezcal.
- Our recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a festive punch bowl or jug rather than a cocktail shaker.
- Feel free to add a few drops of your favourite flavoured bitters to give the drink additional complexity. Lemon and Blackcurrant Bitters work well.
- You can level up this cocktail for a glamorous occasion by topping the drink with champagne sparkling wine instead of soda.
- An hour or two before you’re planning on serving drinks we suggest placing the tequila and creme de cassis bottle in the freezer so they are well chilled.
- We like to garnish the glass with a sprig of mint but you can also add a pop of colour by placing a skewer of fresh blackcurrants on the rim.
Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment
Before hosting a swanky Mexican Mojito Diablo cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.
- Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
- Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
- Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
- Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
- Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
- Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
- Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
- Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
- Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
- Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
- Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
- Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
- Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
- Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
- Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
- Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
You May Also Enjoy These Tequila Cocktail Recipes….
- Passion Fruit Margarita Cocktail
- Mexican Mezcal Mule Cocktail
- Spicy Mezcal Margarita Jalapeño Cocktail
- Tequila Smash Cocktail
- Aperol Tequila Cocktail
- 1800 Tequila Margarita Cocktail
- Long Beach Iced Tea Cocktail
- Raspberry Chambord Margarita
- Mexican Cantaritos Tequila Cocktail
- Thanksgiving Margarita Cocktail
- Frozen Mezcal Paloma Slushie
- Perfect Patron Margarita
- Tommy’s Margarita Cocktail
- Mexican Mule Tequila Cocktail
When To Serve A Mexican Mojito Diablo Cocktail
This sophisticated and refreshing cocktail can be enjoyed any time of year. We love to serve it as a:
- Happy hour drink served alongside Mexican snacks like Gazpacho Moreliano, Spicy Chipotle Roasted Potatoes, Dry Roasted Salsa Mexicana, and Mango Pico de Gallo Salsa.
- Classy guys or girls night beverage
- Pre-drink at home before meeting friends at your local bar
- Dinner party cocktail served with your favourite Mexican dishes like Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas, Albondigas al Chipotle Smoky Mexican Meatballs, and Asado de Boda Chile Pork Stew.
How To Make A Mexican Mojito Diablo Cocktail Recipe
Mojito Diablo Cocktail
Equipment
- Jigger
- Cocktail Shaker
- Bar Spoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz White Tequila
- 0.5 oz Creme De Cassis
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 oz Lime Juice
- 12 Fresh Mint Leaves
- Sparkling Soda Water
Instructions
- Muddle brown sugar, fresh mint and lime juice in a cocktail shaker with a bar spoon.
- Fill the cocktail shaker with ice, add tequila and creme de cassis, shake for 30-45 seconds until cold.
- Strain into a rocks glass, top with soda water and garnish with fresh mint.
Nutrition
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The taste of a sweet summer!