Pink Coconut Mojito

This post is sponsored by Tovolo from Spectrum Diversified Designs.

This fun twist on a classic Mojito is the perfect way to celebrate the final weeks of summer! Pink coconut water ice spheres take this popular rum cocktail to a whole new level of flavor, and the fun, bright color makes it a great drink to serve at summer parties.

The Mojito is one of the best known cocktails on the planet, and for good reason. The mix of rum, fresh lime juice, sugar, mint, and bubbly water is quintessentially cool and refreshing.

My spin on this traditional highball uses a simple ice cube hack to add color and subtle coconut flavor while enhancing the cooling flavor profile it’s so well known for.

History of the classic Mojito

Like many beloved classics, the Mojito’s history is somewhat debatable. It originated in Havana, Cuba, but it’s not clear how or exactly when. Some say that the Mojito’s predecessor was a mixture of lime juice, mint and aguardiente de caña, a rum-like spirit. This blend was used medicinally on the island to ward off all kinds of ailments.

Additionally, it’s thought that African slaves working the Cuban sugar cane fields had a hand in the evolution of the drink. They were known to make drinks with the sugar cane juice that would become an important ingredient in the popularized version of the cocktail later on.

Many stories connect the Mojito we know today to a medicinal drink named for Sir Francis Drake. In the 1800s, the old fashioned, scurvy-preventing “Drake” was re-imagined and renamed the Mojito by Bacardi. Find further reading on the history of the Mojito over on Difford’s Guide.

Many have claimed that the Mojito was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway’s. But unlike so many other cocktails that Hemingway enjoyed and popularized, there is zero evidence to support that he was a fan of this bubbly rum cocktail.

Why is pink coconut water pink?

Some coconut water turns pink after the coconut is cracked, but why? It has to do with polyphenols. These antioxidants make the liquid change color when they’re exposed to light and air.

Naturally pink coconut water is as fresh and untreated as possible (unlike processed, stripped-down, crystal clear coconut water) and it has a much better flavor, in my opinion. I buy the brand Harmless Harvest.

How to make the pink coconut ice

To make this Pink Coconut Mojito, we’re going to use frozen pink coconut water in place of regular ice cubes. Simply fill your molds with the coconut water and pop them in the freezer. You can use coconut water that isn’t pink, but it won’t be nearly as flavorful.

I used the Tovolo Ice Sphere mold to make two large spheres. The larger the ice, the slower it melts. Making craft cocktail ice at home isn’t hard and it’s so rewarding!

Proper Mojito preparation

The way you make your Mojito is personal preference, but many folks have strong opinions on the two primary methods of preparation.

Traditionalists make the drink in the glass that it’s served in, muddling the mint with the lime juice and simple syrup (or sugar). More modern takes on Mojito prep tend to use a cocktail shaker for muddling, then shake and strain the drink before topping it with soda water.

In my opinion, there’s room for both methods. I don’t always enjoy having loose, floating herbs in my drinks (and getting them stuck in my straw). But for this Mojito variation, it’s ideal to mix everything in the same glass it’s served in. The large coconut ice spheres keep the mint fairly contained.

To make this Pink Coconut Mojito, choose a tall highball glass with a fairly heavy bottom. Add the mint leaves and simple syrup and gently press on the mint with your muddler. Next, add two pink coconut water ice spheres and pour over the rum and the lime juice. Top the drink with chilled sparkling water. Stir gently and serve with a straw.

Alternatively, you can use a cocktail shaker: Add the mint and simple syrup to the shaker and press on the mint gently with a muddler. Add the rum and lime juice and fill the shaker 3/4 with ice. Shake until chilled, then fine strain the liquid into a tall highball glass filled with pink coconut water ice. Top with chilled sparkling water and serve with a straw.

You may also enjoy these other rum cocktails:

• Beach Blossom (Rum and Guava Cocktail)
• Pina Coladas
• Missionary’s Downfall
• Classic Daiquiri
• Coconut Daiquiri