The drink of choice for Sam Axe: The Minty Mojito.

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Do you watch Burn Notice? If you do, you’ll know who Sam Axe is, and that the minty mojito is mentioned frequently. If not, I suggest you mix up a few of these and look for the show on USA.

We were fully immersed in the mojito when we went on our honeymoon to Puerto Rico, including the oddly silly tour of the Bacardi factory (which you should ask me about). We had all kinds: sweet, not sweet, super minty, barely minty, mint pulverized and whole. Pulling from all our experiences, we created our favorite classic style mojito; Minty, not too sweet, not too wimpy.

You can never go wrong mixing lime and sugar, but adding mint is what this drink is about. Thus the minty mojito, as Sam says. Take 10-15 medium sized mint leaves and place them in the bottom of your glass, pour in a splash of rum and muddle until the leaves are well crushed and the flavors are released into the liquid. (Breathe deep, the scent is marvelous, too.) Add lime wedges equal to half a lime and muddle some more to release the lime juice. Add crushed ice, 1 1/2 ounces light rum, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, 3 ounces lime seltzer, and stir. Take a sip and envision yourself on a Caribbean beach!

Mint, meet the muddler. Muddler, meet (and crush) the mint.

The muddling process (old Cuban sugar bag not mandatory).

The splendidly refreshing mojito! Warm weather in a glass.

10-15 mint leaves

1 1/2 ounces light rum

1/2 ounce simple syrup

3 ounces lime seltzer

crushed ice

158 thoughts on “The drink of choice for Sam Axe: The Minty Mojito.”

  2. I normally don’t drink hard liquor, but I usually make an exception for a Mojito! It is a great drink. Your photo is wonderful.

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  8. That looks delicious. Every time that I order a mojito, the place is mysteriously out of mint. I will have to try this recipe instead 🙂

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  9. I wrote a post yesterday about drinks I like. Mojito featured in amongst it, as it it one of my favourites! Great post and pics.
    Try a slug of bison grass vodka and apple juice added to the mix – it is AMAZING!

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  13. My fondest memories with one of my dearest friends is of delicious Minty Mojitos that would only allow for two to be consumed at a sitting. Now I can make it at home…thank you so much!!!! Fressly Pressed Top Choice!!

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  17. Mmmmmm! Thanks for the timely post. Our baby key lime tree is finally starting to produce fruit, and it’s first lime is starting to ripen. I’ll use it to test this recipe! Congrats on getting freshly pressed!

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      • LOL! Ask a friend who winters in the keys to smuggle some back for you. Did you grow the mint? It looks awesome! Once our little mojito tree grows up a bit more, we’ll have a few different types of mint to try with home-grown mojitos 😉

      • I did not grow the mint, although I am going to plant some in the next few weeks. It came from the grocery store….but Wegmans has great produce.

      • Getting in the mood for the Kentucky Derby? I would make it in a similar fashion. I’d use simple syrup vs. granulated sugar. And the bourbon you use would be key. Good mixers make a good drink. Of the top of my head, I’ve had Knob Creek recently and it was good for a decent price. Just pick one that you like. Cheers!

  19. it actually sounds good. ive lost my taste for anything that gives me a buzz … guess i dont like the buzz … but it still sounds nice. maybe ill find a buzzless way to try it. tea maybe?

    dont laugh …
    k☼

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  22. Burn Notice is one of my “can’t wait for it to come back” TV series. I mourn the words “Season Finale” and celebrate “Season Premiere”. I Love the quirkiness of Sam Axe and the Mojito is the perfect analogy for him. Muddled at times, he has his sweet side, and his sour side but he’s always got a little sparkle, he’s vibrant and colorful and he blends nicely with his team.

    Now I have to go get the ingredients and make me a Mojito and kick back and remind myself, the new season is coming soon!

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  26. Gracias for the Recipe… Now off to the store I go to buy the ingredients… lol
    I Loved Pictures tooo.
    And I’m glad the Cuban Sugar Bag is NOT mandatory. he!

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  27. Apparently Ernest Hemingway’s favourite drink whilst in Havana, which is where we had our first ones, and what a great drink it is. All writers should drink them and search for the Hemingway muse. 🙂 Good shout 2eat2drink.

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    • I second the ginger recommendation, but in the form of ginger beer as a replacement for the lime seltzer. Either way, mojitos are just good for your soul. 🙂

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    • Good recommendation! I”m actually planning several other flavored mojitos…why I considered this one “classic”. It’s a greet combo to play around with. Thanks, and cheers!

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  30. I had a Yellow Mojito the other day in a restaurant chain called Giraffe in London. Nice idea in theory – but disappointing in practice. Though I love passion fruit, the classic mojito best left as an unmeddled with classic.
    Great pics by the way.

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  33. I love this drink. It reminds me of when my girlfriend, at the time, would make this for me while bartending at Dinosaur BBQ in Upstate NY. It was not something any of the ladies behind the bar liked doing because it’s time consuming and slows them down.

    Great post and your photos are impressive.

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  37. Had to check out any post that mentions Sam Axe! I loved Burn Notice for the first few seasons, but since they brought the Jesse character in, I think it has gone downhill. It’s gotten too cartoony and lost the quirkiness in the last few seasons.
    Maybe one of these mojitos will change my outlook!

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    • Yes, and who know what the new episodes will bring. Still looking forward to it. But yes, I think these will certainly add to the experience. Cheers! (you have a fun blog)

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  38. Pingback: The drink of choice for Sam Axe: The Minty Mojito. (via 2eat2drink) « A Bit of Everything

  39. Thanks. That picture is very tempting. Puzzled about the syrup – what is ‘simple syrup’? Is this something you made (i.e. dissolved sugar in water?) or is this something bought (I know, I’m being simple but I can’t help it!!)
    Lynn 😀

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    • Hi Lynn. I thought about mentioning that. And I might actually do a post all about it, and different flavors you can add to it. But.. You have it right. Take equal parts sugar and water, heat and stir until dissolved. Super easy to make and an easy way to sweeten any drink. Glad you like…thanks..and cheers!!

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  43. Wow. Am I glad I stumbled into your blog! 🙂 This minty mojito is something I’ve got to make someday! Hopefully soon! Thanks for this!

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  47. This must be my absolute favourite cocktail for sure! Followed closely by Pimms and Lemonade with fruit… Ohhhh… wish summer was coming – Im going to have to find myself a good winter drink now.

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  48. Mmmm… I like these guys even better when I add a bunch of mint leaves to the simple syrup whilst it’s still hot. An old friend taught me that trick, and it really adds to the mintiness. Mint flavored simple syrup. Feeling crazy? Do it with basil and add lemons instead of limes. Oh. So. Yum!

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  51. That’s some seriously tasty-looking stuff. My mouth is watering at your brilliant pictures. I do love a Mojito. Hot day, relaxing, taking in the world with a cold one, can’t be beat.

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  56. Beautiful photos – few things are better than a good mojito on a hot summer day! I’ll definitely be trying this one out soon.

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  58. I have yet to try a mojito, though my friend says I NEED to. I think anything Sam Axe drinks has to be good. 🙂
    Love the pictures, recipe, and relationship to the whole Burn Notice thing. Can’t wait for June myself, and one of these days I need to sit down and watch The Fall Of Sam Axe that I dvr’ed a week or so ago.
    Great post!

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    • Thanks! Yes, I think Sam has it right with this one. “The Fall” was a good showcase of Sam’s quirks; very entertaining. Probably more so with a mojito. Let me know if you decide to mix one up. Cheers!

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  68. I LOVE mojitos! I grow mint only for this purpose (okay, and for tabbouleh–is that a weird combination??). Beautiful photos and thanks for the reminder that summer really is just around the corner!

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  70. Nice to meet a fellow Burn Notice watcher, not many people I know watch it. Surprising, considering it’s a great show. One of my favorites.
    Would you by any chance have an obsession with curd? I don’t know whether you’ll get the reference or not….but anyways…
    Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!

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    • Sorry i didn’t get back to you sooner…I was…eating some yogurt. (of course I got it!!) It is a great show. Looking forward to next month. Glad you enjoyed….thank you!

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  73. This looks so appealing, my mouth is actually watering. It is a gorgeous, sunny spring day where I am…I could definitely go for a minty mojito right now. I will be giving it a try in the near future! I am a fan of the “not too sweet, not too wimpy” trait!

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  75. Hi, thank you so much for this recipe!! i had one question, can I make this with Aguardiente? It’s a Colombian alcoholic drink that is made out of sugar cane I believe. I have a box of it and am trying to figure out cocktails that i can make with it. I believe it resembles cachaca (a Brazilian drink) more than rum, but figured I could still use if for a mojito? thanks in advance for your response!!

    ~Marcela

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    • Hi Marcela. You’re welcome! Yes, I believe that would work well. Give it a shot! I’ve had cachaca..and it is similar to rum, so the mojito will definitely be a good choice to make a dent in your box.

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      • Thanks so much! ok so I literally just had this about 10 minutes ago. After yoga, a friend and I went to eat Peruvian Chicken by Adams Morgan (we live in Washington D.C.), in preparation for our delicious mojitos. I broke open my box of aguardiente (in honor of my heritage haha) and we followed your recipe. At the time I had not seen your reply so I just added brown sugar after the muddling process, and added club soda instead, and the results were AMAZING. Aguardiente has an anise-like smell and flavor so that gave it a twist 🙂 Thanks so much! This is the first time I ever make a cocktail drink on my own… haha, and now I have a signature drink to offer to guests and friends, all thanks to you!! Muchas gracias!! Muito Obrigada!! 🙂 Do you by any chance have a recipe for caipirinhas? they’re delicious summer drinks as well 🙂

    • Simple syrup is a nice way to add a touch of sugar to your drink without the granules. Mix equal parts sugar and water in a pan on the stove, and heat while stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Chill and keep it in the fridge to add when needed!

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      • Thanks again for the reply. I wanted to let you know that I bought two bunches of organic mint leaves here in the farmer’s market last week. I trimmed the bottoms of the stems, and wrapped them in wet paper towels that had been drenched in ice cold water. Then I placed them in zip lock bags. I placed one in the fridge in the middle not quite in the super cold or by the door. The other one I placed in the freezer. The one in the freezer became darker and seems burnt 😦 but the one in the fridge looks as fresh as if just bought!!! just a tip I wanted to share in case anyone else was trying to figure out how to make mint keep fresh longer. — I am so surprised at my own success in this haha– so I hope it helps others as well . Cheers!

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