What Is a Nojito? The Mojito Without Rum, Explained
By Jason LaValla, founder, Casamara Club · September 2026
Jump to:
- The Word
- What the Rum Was Doing
- Three Ways to Get One
- How to Judge a Canned One
- Ours: Superclasico Mojito
- Frequently Asked Questions
People ask for it four ways: nojito, virgin mojito, mojito mocktail, mojito without alcohol. Same glass. Here is the word, what the rum was doing, and three ways to get one, including ours.
The short answer: A nojito is a mojito built from fresh lime, mint, sugar, and soda water over ice, with no rum. It is the same drink as a virgin mojito or a non-alcoholic mojito; the name is the only difference.
The Word
"Nojito" is "no" and "mojito" pushed together. Recipe sites and bar blogs use the word, but none we could find names a coiner or a first use, so we are not going to invent one. "Virgin mojito" is the term a bartender will understand without a pause. "Nojito" is common enough on menus and recipe sites to be worth knowing. "Non-alcoholic mojito" is what gets printed on a can or bottle, because that is label language.
What the Rum Was Doing
Less than you would think, because rum is the least assertive thing in a mojito. The classic build is white rum, fresh lime juice, sugar, fresh mint, soda water, and ice. Lime brings the acid, sugar the body, mint the cooling top note, soda the length. A light white rum adds a faint sweetness and a little warmth on the finish, and that is all. Leave it out and the drink is a touch lighter; a pinch more sugar or a squeeze more lime puts it back.
The mint matters more than the rum ever did. Spearmint is the classic leaf; peppermint is cooler and stronger, and the two make different drinks.
Three Ways to Get One
Order it, build it, or open it.
At the bar
Ask for a virgin mojito or a nojito. Nearly any bar that keeps fresh mint can make one.
At home, from scratch
Five minutes, one glass. The full walkthrough is in our virgin mojito recipe. The compact card:
Nojito (Virgin Mojito)
- 1 oz fresh lime juice (about one lime)
- 2 teaspoons cane sugar, or ½ oz simple syrup
- 8 to 10 fresh mint leaves
- 4 oz cold soda water
- Ice, crushed or cubed
- Lime wheel and a mint sprig to finish
- Put the mint, sugar, and lime juice in a highball. Press gently with a muddler or the back of a spoon until you smell the mint. Do not shred the leaves.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Top with soda water and stir once, from the bottom.
- Garnish with the lime wheel and the sprig. Slap the sprig against your palm first to wake the oil.
The usual ways it goes wrong: mint muddled to a pulp, too much sugar, flat soda, or no mint at all, which leaves you holding a lime soda. More builds on our recipes page.
From a can
A ready-to-drink mojito trades the fresh-mint work for consistency: open, pour over ice, done. Our virgin mojito page compares every route side by side.
How to Judge a Canned One
Read the label for four things: real mint, real lime, cane sugar, and bubbles.
| Look for | Why |
|---|---|
| Mint named on the label (extract or leaf), and lime as juice or peel | "Natural flavors" alone is the tell. Extract-based mint reads as the leaf; artificial mint reads as toothpaste. |
| Cane sugar on the label | Sugar carries the mint. Stevia with mint is a known bad pairing: metallic, with a cooling aftertaste that does not leave. |
| Carbonated | A mojito is a long, sparkling drink. Flat is a failure. |
| Sugar and calories per serving on the panel | A bar mojito's sugar depends on the pour of syrup; a canned one puts the number on the panel. |
Ours: Superclasico Mojito
Superclasico Mojito is our mojito, made simply from Demerara cane sugar, peppermint, and lime, in 8oz cans. Coming soon.
Against the checklist above: the mint is peppermint extract and the lime is both juice and lime peel extract. The sweetener is Demerara cane sugar, no stevia. Sparkling water is the first ingredient. 55 calories and 14g of sugar per 8oz can. The style line is "Throw Away Your Muddler," and that is the whole idea: the mint and lime are extracted into the drink, so there is nothing to press. It takes rum.
Serve it cold over ice in a highball, poured slowly down the wall of the glass, with a lime wheel. The rest of the house method is in how to serve Casamara Club. Sold online in 12-can packs and up; tap Notify Me on the product page and we will tell you when it is available.
Coming soon
Superclasico Mojito
Throw Away Your Muddler
Sea breeze rising, out past palms and porticos. I know a place.
Get notified when it's available →Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is a nojito the same as a virgin mojito?
A: Yes. Both are a mojito built from lime, mint, sugar, soda, and ice, with no rum. "Virgin mojito" is the older, more widely understood term; "nojito" is newer slang for the same drink.
Q: Does a nojito have sugar?
A: Yes. Sugar balances the lime and carries the mint. From scratch, two teaspoons is about 8g. Superclasico Mojito carries 14g per 8oz can, from Demerara cane sugar.
Q: Can kids drink a nojito?
A: Made from scratch, yes. It is a soft drink: lime, mint, sugar, and soda water. For Superclasico Mojito, the ingredient list is on the can and the product page: sparkling water, lime juice, Demerara cane sugar, and extracts of peppermint and lime peel.
Q: Can I add rum later?
A: Yes. A nojito is a complete mojito base; add 1.5 to 2 oz of white rum per glass and stir. For Superclasico Mojito, start with rum and ice in a highball and pour the Mojito down the wall of the glass.
Q: What does "mocktail" mean?
A: A cocktail made without spirits; "mock" and "cocktail" pushed together, the same way "nojito" was. Some bartenders prefer "non-alcoholic cocktail" or "zero-proof."
Sources
- International Bartenders Association, Mojito (classic build: 45 ml white rum, 20 ml lime juice, 6 mint sprigs, 2 tsp white cane sugar, soda water).
- Difford's Guide, Virgin Mojito (alcohol-free build; measures adapted to a single highball).
- "Nojito" in use, no coiner named: Skinnytaste, Virgin Mojito (Nojito); European Bartender School, How to craft the perfect 'nojito'.
- Sugar per teaspoon (about 4g): USDA FoodData Central, granulated sugar.
- Casamara Club, Virgin Mojito landing page (judging checklist, read on the live site September 6, 2026).
Find Casamara Club at casamaraclub.com. Ships to all 50 states.
For restaurant wholesale inquiries: sales@casamaraclub.com
