Refreshing Passion Fruit Mojito

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Make a favorite beach cocktail even more tropical with this ultra refreshing passion fruit mojito! Prepared with freshly muddled passion fruit, mint leaves, white rum and bubbly club soda, this twist on a classic Cuban cocktail tastes like summer in a glass. Grab a seat on the patio with this fresh mojito in hand and you’re in for the perfect evening.

A passion fruit mojito on a straw placemat with a passion fruit half to the side and sprigs of mint and purple flowers around it.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make a Pitcher of Mojitos
Recipe FAQs
Variations and Substitutions
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
Get More Mojito Recipes
📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Turns your backyard into a Caribbean destination: OK, sure, we’re missing the beautiful beach view, but take a sip and close your eyes — you’re sure to feel some serious tropical vibes with that fresh passion fruit flavor. I bet you can almost hear those gentle waves.

Makes for easy sipping: With the fresh mint, lime and effervescent finish, a traditional mojito makes for one cooling cocktail, but the addition of passion fruit purée takes this drink to a whole new level. That extra burst of tropical flavor is just what you need to get through even the hottest summer days.

Always a party favorite: Mojitos are always popular with the crowd, and you can turn this into a pitcher recipe to make entertaining easy and breezy, just as it should be for any summer party.

Related: For more passion fruit cocktail recipes, make sure you try this passion fruit martini and passion fruit margarita.

Ingredients

White rum: A traditional mojito calls for white rum, not dark rum. Bacardi is a common brand, but Havana Club is a great option for a Cuban rum. For more inspiration, check out this list of best rums for mojitos.

Passion fruit purée: You can use fresh or frozen passion fruit purée — your choice. I actually love frozen passion fruit purée. Locating fresh passion fruit can be tricky, and they’re not cheap.

Frozen passion fruit is just as good, and you can get it seedless if you prefer a smoother texture. Of course, you're welcome welcome to use fresh passion fruit pulp if you don't mind those little black seeds.

Lime wedges: We’re using the whole lime, not lime juice. I’ve tested mojitos side by side with muddled lime and fresh lime juice, and the muddled lime won, hands down. Not only does muddling juice the lime, but it extracts the oil from the lime peel for an even more intense citrus flavor. Plus, that’s the more traditional preparation method.

Mint: If using packaged mint from the grocery store, keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. For your own garden mint, either pick it right before mixing or store the mint sprigs in a sealable jar with a few inches of water in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Simple syrup: This is where we stray from tradition. A classic mojito uses granulated white sugar, but if you don’t fully dissolve the sugar while muddling, it can leave a grainy texture. Simple syrup adds the same flavor without the hassle.

Club soda: I recommend club soda over soda water. Club soda has a nice minerality that works well with the lime.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mojitos are made in the serving glass, so we won’t need our cocktail shaker here. The first step is to add the passion fruit purée, simple syrup and lime wedges to a highball glass and muddle well until the lime wedges break down like so (photo 1).

The lime wedges, passion fruit purée and simple syrup in a highball glass on a cream-colored wooden surface after they've been muddled.

Step 2: Now we add the fresh mint leaves on top of the lime slices and lightly muddle a few times (photo 2). We don’t want to overwork the mint, which is why I like to muddle it after the limes. Muddling limes takes a bit more force.

The drink on a cream-colored board with the mint on top of the lime wedge after it's been lightly muddled.

Step 3: Once we muddle the ingredients, we’re ready to add the rum with plenty of ice to our tall glass and stir the mixture until it’s nice and chilled (photo 3).

A hand stirring a copper bar spoon to mix in the white rum and ice in a tall highball glass on a cream-colored surface.

Step 4: From here, we top the ice-filled glass with club soda and gently stir once more to combine the mixture (photo 4).

A hand pouring a bottle of club soda on top of the drink after mixing in the white rum on a lightly colored wooden surface.

Step 5: For the perfect garnish, we place a mint sprig in the palm of one hand and quickly clap the other hand on top before placing it in our cocktail glass. (photo 5). This helps release the mint’s fragrance.

A hand holding a fresh mint sprig before clapping the other hand on top to release its fragrance for garnishing.

All that’s left is to take a sip and enjoy those tropical fruit flavors. It feels like you’re on the beach, huh? You won't find a more refreshing cocktail for those hot summer days.

How to Make a Pitcher of Mojitos

If you’d like to make a whole pitcher of refreshing passion fruit mojitos, here’s the rundown.

Add the lime wedges, passion fruit purée and simple syrup to a pitcher and muddle to break down the limes.
Toss in the mint leaves and lightly muddle. If you have trouble reaching the bottom of the pitcher, you can always muddle in a bowl and then transfer the contents to the pitcher.
Pour in the white rum, cover and refrigerate for a few hours. The mint may start to darken, but you can always remove the old mint and add new mint to the pitcher right before serving.
Once it’s party time, gently stir in the club soda and pour into glasses.

Look for the notes section of the recipe card to find the exact pitcher proportions.

Looking down on a passion fruit mojito on a straw placemat with mint, purple flowers and a passion fruit half around it.

Recipe FAQs

What does passion fruit taste like?

Right when passion fruit hits your tongue, you’ll notice prominent tart and citrusy notes, but you also get a little sweetness. That perfect flavor balance makes passion fruit great for cocktails.

How do you pick ripe passion fruit?

Look for passion fruit with wrinkly skin and a dark purple hue. If the skin is still smooth, it may be too tart. We want the fruit to have a chance to ripen to get that welcome hint of sweetness.

Can you make a nonalcoholic passion fruit mojito mocktail version?

Absolutely, simply leave out the rum and you have yourself the perfect nonalcoholic passion fruit mojito. It couldn’t be easier.

Is a mojito better with vodka or rum?

Mojitos are made with light rum. While vodka would still make for a delicious cocktail, it’d be an entirely different drink.

Is tonic water or club soda best for mojitos?

A classic mojito recipe calls for club soda. Tonic water makes refreshing drinks, but it has a distinct flavor and isn’t used in mojitos. Like the vodka question, tonic water would still give you a nice drink — it just wouldn’t be a mojito.

A side view of a passion fruit mojito with a sprig of mint to the left and a white vase in the background.

Variations and Substitutions

If you’d like to put a fun twist on this drink, here are a few ideas to try.

Make it a spicy passion fruit mojito by mudding a couple jalapeño slices with the lime.
Give it an extra dose of passion fruit flavor by using a passion fruit syrup instead of regular simple syrup.
Or use other fun flavored syrups, such as this ginger syrup or raspberry syrup.
Use this as your base mojito recipe and experiment with your other favorite fresh fruit — pineapple mojitos, anyone?
Add some fresh basil with the mint.
Garnish with a real sugar cane stick in addition to the sprig of mint.
For best results, passion fruit purée or pulp is recommended, but you can use 2 ounces of passion fruit juice or nectar in a pinch.

Expert Tips

Chill the club soda: Not only does this make for a more refreshing drink, but it will keep the ice from melting too quickly and diluting the drink.

Pick ripe limes: We want limes that have some give you when you press your fingertips into them. Hard limes are dried out.

Place limes with the cut side facing up: It’s much easier to break down the lime when you muddle the pulp rather than the peel.

Use a gentle touch: If you overwork the mint, it can leave you with a bitter mojito. We just need a few light twists to extract the flavor.

Make your own passion fruit purée: If you can't find seedless frozen passion fruit purée but have fresh passion fruit, you can make your own. Add the pulp of a few passion fruits to a blender with a splash of water and process. Then, pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any larger bits and seeds.

Prepare your own simple syrup: Making your own simple syrup is more economical, and it only takes two basic ingredients. Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove, stirring here and there to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar dissolves, the simple syrup is ready.

Allow the syrup to first cool and then store it in a sterile, airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks. When it turns cloudy, it's time for a new batch.

Perfect Pairing

Let’s keep up the tropical theme and enjoy some beach-inspired dishes. To start, you’ll love these spicy mango chicken wings, followed by a plate of jerk pork with some Hawaiian potato salad and coconut rice. And, of course, we need dessert — this passion fruit curd or passion fruit cheesecake is perfect.

When you need a taste of paradise for your summer parties, I hope you make this passion fruit mojito recipe. Every refreshing sip is sure to transport you to a relaxing island vacation in your own kitchen.

Cheers!

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