Mint Limeade (Virgin Mojitos)

Mint Limeade AKA Virgin Mojitos! – This homemade limeade is kissed with fresh mint & tastes amazing. It’s the perfect non-alcoholic drink for a celebration!

I live in the Southwest, so Tex-Mex food is the name of the game! We’ve got lots of great local places, and several fun chains in our area that make it easy to get great food any time a craving hits.

We used to love Cafe Rio before we went gluten-free, and one of my favorite things on their menu was the mint limeade. It’s SO bright and refreshing. I can’t get enough of those flavors! In the years since we went gluten-free, we’ve taken to making our own at home. YUM!

This Cafe Rio copycat mint limeade is everything you want it to be. It’s like a mojito mocktail, with bright lime and mint flavors. Easy to make and satisfying to sip, it’s one thirst-quenching summer drink recipe you’ll want to add to your menu! It’s the perfect pairing for Tex-Mex dinners, summer cookouts, and parties of all kinds.

Here’s what you need to make the best mint limeade…

Here’s What You Need To Make Mint Limeade:

• Mint Simple Syrup. We’re starting our mint limeade with mint simple syrup. It’s SUPER easy to make with equal parts sugar and water, along with some fresh mint.
• Fresh Lime Juice. Next up is plenty of fresh lime juice! I don’t recommend bottled lime juice here as it tends to run bitter and acidic. An inexpensive squeezer like this $5 lemon squeezer makes juicing limes SO EASY! Trust. It’ll change your life!
• Water. To dilute the simple syrup and lime juice, you’ll finish the drink off with plenty of water. I usually still make my limeade a bit strong because I like to add ice and don’t want to dilute it too much when the ice melts. On that note…
• Ice. I use 2-3 cups of ice in my pitcher to keep this yummy mint limeade ice cold. The ice will melt with time, which will get the limeade to the perfect dilution of flavor–not too strong, not too weak.
• Pretty Garnishes. Lastly, I love to finish off my pitcher or each glass with a few fresh garnishes. Here, I’m mimicking the flavors in the drink by using sliced limes & sprigs of fresh mint, but feel free to play around!

How To Make Virgin Mojito Mint Limeade, Step By Step:

Start With The Mint Simple Syrup:

1. Combine Sugar, Water, and Fresh Mint Leaves in a small saucepan.
2. Bring To A Simmer. Heat the simple syrup over medium heat, whisking to help dissolve the sugar. When the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches a simmer (not a boil!), turn the heat off.
3. Steep The Syrup. Let the mint steep and infuse the syrup for at least 15-30 minutes.
4. Strain & Store The Syrup. Then, strain the mint out of the simple syrup by pouring it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Discard the mint & use the syrup right away or store for later. Mint simple syrup will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Mix Up Your Virgin Mojito Mint Limeade:

1. Start With Ice. Now, you’re ready to make your limeade! Add 2-3 cups of ice to a large pitcher.
2. Add Simple Syrup, Lime Juice & Water. Pour in the mint simple syrup, fresh lime juice, and water.
3. Stir & Tase Test. Give the limeade a stir to combine everything evenly. Taste test the mint limeade to see if you need more water (to dilute it), more mint leaves, etc. 
4. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs or leaves, and lime slices or wedges as desired.

Pretty Ways To Garnish This Mojito Mocktail REcipe:

I love to make things look pretty, and easy mocktail recipes like this make it super simple and fun! Here are a few ways to garnish a virgin mojito (mint limeade):

• Sprigs Of Fresh Mint. Since you strain the mint out while making the mint simple syrup, adding a few leaves or a sprig or two of fresh mint to your pitcher or glass can add a beautiful pop of color and instantly call to mind the subtle mint notes of this drink.
• Lime Slices Or Lime Wedges. Similarly, I love adding a lime wedge or a few lime slices to the glasses or pitcher to mimic the flavors in the drink. Pretty, simple & elegant! You can also use lime wheels on the side of the glasses for a fun effect. Just cut a small slit to the center so you can slip it onto the glass
• A Sugared Rim. While they aren’t super popular on a classic mojito, sugared rims can be a fun way to dress up a glass of this mint limeade! Run a lime wedge around the rim of your glass them dip it in sugar to create a lime sugar rim. (Add even more flavor by rubbing lime zest into the sugar beforehand!)
• Edible Flowers. Certainly not super traditional, but edible flowers can add such beautiful color to a pitcher or glass!
• Pretty Ice Cubes. Or, freeze flowers, lime wedges, mint leaves, or fresh fruit (like raspberries or pineapple) into ice cubes for a beautiful effect!

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Mint Limeade (Virgin Mojitos)

A Trick For Squeezing Limes. The easiest way we’ve tried to juice limes is to use a lemon or lime squeezer. They come at all price points, but we own this $5 lemon squeezer and it works like a CHARM. SO much easier than any other juicer or juicing trick we’ve tried!

Love A Bubbly Finish? Add Some Sparkle With Soda Water! Feel free to swap in sparkling water or soda water/club soda for all or part of the water in this mint limeade. It’ll really give this a mojito mocktail vibe since mojitos use soda water. Some virgin mojito recipes use lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, but we find that with the mint simple syrup + soda water, we get enough sweetener and bubbles!

How Do You Make A Mojito Mocktail? A virgin mojito or mojito mocktail is non-alcoholic, so we’re skipping the rum that’s traditional in classic mojitos, and instead leaning into the lime + mint flavors. You can certainly simply muddle some mint leaves in a glass with lime juice & sugar, but we’re giving our virgin mojitos even more flavor by using simple syrup to make a mint limeade. Use soda water or sparkling water for an even more mojito-like feel!

How Long Does Homemade Limeade Last? Homemade fresh limeade will keep well in the refrigerator 4-5 days at least. I recommend storing it without added garnishes to preserve the flavor. You can easily make it in advance and keep it in the refrigerator!

Prefer A Natural Sweetener? You can experiment with a honey syrup or agave simple syrup instead of using sugar syrup (classic simple syrup). I do find that honey especially can impact the flavor of drinks.

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