Party Pineapple Orange Mojitos – Self-Serve Mason Jar Mojitos

I’m having a serious crush on the mojito. It’s probably just a May-September fling (margaritas, you’re still my soulmate), but that icy-mint-lime-rum combination has completely captured my fancy.

And icy rum cocktails have practically been a requirement this week — did I mention that the temperature has been 90°F the last two days? No? 90°F! June! Why are you being so July? — and I’ve had a lot of opportunities to polish my muddling skillz.

The thing about mojitos, though, is that just when you want to share the mojito love with the crowd of people who will fill your backyard some weekend soon, you realize that, whooaa, that’s a heckuvalotta muddling.

I bet y’all are better party-throwers than I, but I don’t particularly like playing bartender at my own party (if I have to be tied in one spot, I’d rather be behind the grill). I like drinks that are easy to whip up (frosty margaritas by the pitcher!) and serve (beer on ice!).

So after a little thought, and a little fiddling, I’ve pulled together a great do-ahead way to serve mojitos to a crowd: self-serve, mason jar mojitos, spill-proof, shake-’em-upable and ready for your ice bucket.

But, let’s back up a second. These aren’t just mojitos. They’re pineapple orange mojitos. I feel a little authenticity-guilty, adding not one but two [okay, three] non-mojito ingredients to the mix. But since it still requires mint-leaf-and-lime-and-sugar muddling, I figure the poetic license is forgivable (oh, and really yums). Pineapple and orange flavors are so bright and summery, they can’t help but be crowd-pleasing in a mojito, right?

And, these mason jar mojitos can be made the morning of! The pineapple orange mojitos base can be whipped up in a blender and then tucked in the fridge, even the night before. Muddle the mint, sugar, and lime in the mason jars, and top with the base (adding rum and club soda at this point is up to you, see serving tips later), screw on the lids and rings and store in the fridge until pre-party prep (or, if you don’t have room, buy extra ice, and store them in a large tub completely covered in ice (salted ice, even better).

Before your guests arrive, load up your ice bucket(s) with the mason jars (straws optional), and let your guests have at ’em.

The Math

The printable recipe below creates 4 one-pint mason jar pineapple orange mojitos. But to help you scale up or down, here’s the single-drink breakdown (follow the recipe itself for assembly instructions):

For the mix:
zest from one orange
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about one medium-large navel orange)
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, sliced into 1/2″ dice (measure after dicing)
juice from 1/2 of a lime
4 to 5 thin slices of peeled fresh ginger
3 to 4 large fresh mint leaves

For muddling:
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
juice from 1/4 of a lime
2 or 3 large fresh mint leaves, torn into strips

For assembly:
silver rum (about 2 ounces)
club soda
crushed ice

Serving Tips:

• Create mocktails by topping the mason jar mojitos with ice cold ginger ale instead of rum and club soda. (Label the mocktail lids (e.g., “V” for virgin) for clear and easy identification.
• if you’re not sure how much rum your guests prefer in their mojitos, and if your set-up allows, jar up only the muddled mint and pineapple-orange base, and let your guests top off their own mojitos with rum and club soda. Also serve ginger ale to give them the option of making a mocktail instead.
• Have crushed ice on hand for your guests to add to their drinks, especially when it’s August-hot.
• Keep a container near the bucket for guests to deposit the lids and rims.

And if you’re thinking, hey, this would work with other cocktails…, you and I are totally on the same page. 😉

Oh, and one note about prep: when I was testing a crowd-sized batch (food blogging is such a challenge {back of hand to forehead} although at that point, it was mocktails with ginger ale), all the orange slices and muddled mint created a totally amazing scent in my kitchen. If they could stabilize and package that exact scent in a spray bottle, I’d be a customer for life.

Karen xo

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Party Pineapple Orange Mojitos - Self-Serve Mason Jar Mojitos!

This recipe makes mojitos for 4 one-pint mason jars (16 ounces). Feel free to adjust the ingredient balance to your liking — for example, if you really dig mint, add more mint leaves. If you like your mojitos sweet, add more sugar to each jar.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Author: Karen Gibson

Ingredients

for the base

• zest from 3 oranges
• 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice 3 to 5 navel oranges
• 2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1/2" dice (slice before measuring)
• 2 " piece of ginger peeled and thickly sliced
• 8 to 12 large fresh mint leaves

for muddling

• 12 to 16 fresh mint leaves torn into large strips (use 3 to 4 per jar)
• 8 teaspoons granulated sugar use 2 per jar
• 2 limes cut in half use one half per jar

for assembly

• white rum about 2 ounces per glass; 1 jigger is 1 1/2 ounces
• club soda
• crush ice for serving

Instructions

• Add all of the base ingredients to a blender and puree until mostly smooth (don't worry if the mint isn't completely broken down - I think it adds interest to the jars). If preparing ahead, store in the refrigerator.
• To prep the jars, divide the mint leaves and sugar among the four jars. Squeeze half of a lime into each jar (for drinkability, I would not add the lime itself, although that's traditional). Muddle the mint into the sugar and lime juice in each jar until the sugar becomes syrupy and the mint is highly fragrant.
• Pour one cup of base into each jar (many mason jars have cup markings on one side, but lacking that, fill the jar halfway with base). Add the rum, and top with a splash of club soda, leaving one-inch of headroom in each jar. Secure the lid on each jar with the rings, and refrigerate.
• To serve at the party, fill a large bucket or tub with plenty of ice and nestle the jars in the ice.

Nutritional information, if shown, is provided as a courtesy only, and is not to be taken as medical information or advice. The nutritional values of your preparation of this recipe are impacted by several factors, including, but not limited to, the ingredient brands you use, any substitutions or measurement changes you make, and measuring accuracy.