My Bar Bible / Cocktails / Mojito vs Caipirinha

Mojito vs Caipirinha

What is the difference between a Mojito and a Caipirinha? Here are both recipes side by side, with exact measures, and what actually sets them apart.

The difference

• Both use sugar.
• Only the Mojito has mint leaves, lime juice, white rum and soda water.
• Only the Caipirinha has lime wedges and cachaça.
• The Mojito goes in a highball, the Caipirinha in a rocks glass.
• The Caipirinha is the stronger drink: about 30% against about 11% once diluted.

Mojito

Mint leaves	6 leaves
Sugar	2 teaspoons
Lime juice	30 ml
White rum	45 ml
Soda water	top up, about 60 ml

Muddled · Highball · about 11% · about 140 calories

Havana’s highball, descended from an older rum drink called El Draque and made famous by bars such as La Bodeguita del Medio.

Mojito recipe

Caipirinha

Lime wedges	4 wedges
Sugar	2 teaspoons
Cachaça	60 ml

Muddled · Rocks glass · about 30% · about 180 calories

Brazil’s national cocktail: cachaça, lime and sugar, muddled in the glass.

Caipirinha recipe