If you know our mojito for 20 peopleyou already know this recipe. It's the same. Less rum.
Why? When you invite 20 people, a few of them are bound not to drink: the designated driver, the friend whose Dry January has lasted 5 years, the pregnant cousin. They deserve a proper cocktail experience too.
The virgin mojito is one of the most well-known non-alcoholic cocktails. It's often available on bar menus. It's quite close to the original version: lime, mint, bubbles… We don't really feel cheated when ordering the non-alcoholic version.
Virgin Mojito for 20 people
Ingredients
- 25-30 limes 15 for juice, 10 for garnish
- 2 bunches mint
- 12 tablespoons white sugar plain white sugar, not brown sugar
- 2 bottles sparkling water such as Perrier or San Pellegrino
- 2 kg crushed ice (in French)
Instructions
Before guests arrive
- Take the first bunch of mint, remove all the leaves and put them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the 12 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
- Juice 15 limes and add the juice to the bowl.
- Gently muddle the mint leaves with the sugar and juice. Do not turn them into a purée: we want to release the aromas without extracting bitterness.
- Add a bottle of sparkling water and stir gently.
- Refrigerate. You can prepare this base up to 24h ahead, leaving out the sparkling water until the last moment.
During the evening
- Put crushed ice, a few lime wedges bought for garnish and mint leaves from the second bunch into each glass.
- Pour 7-8 cl of the mixture into the glass.
- Top up with a splash of sparkling water from the second bottle.
- Stir with a spoon and garnish with a lime wheel or a sprig of mint.
Notes
What changes (and what doesn't change) without rum
Good news: in a mojito, not everything rests on rum. Mint, lime, and the bubbles all play a major role. Sugar adds roundness, while the bubbles bring freshness. Rum, on the other hand, adds depth and a little heat. But a mojito is made with a light Cuban rum. Not a 50% agricultural rum with overpowering aromas.
Result: a well-made virgin mojito is far more convincing than a virgin margarita or a virgin Cuba Libre (it's just Coca with a slice of lime). The structure holds naturally.
What you lose concretely: a bit of finish complexity and that warm sensation which tells you you're drinking 'something'. But for an summer evening with 20 people, honestly, nobody will complain.
Three ways to make it even better
The basic recipe is already solid. But if you want to go further, here are three tested options:
Option 1 — The ginger beer (the most effective)
Replace the soda water with ginger beer. Not ginger ale—real ginger beer, the kind that bites. Fentimans, Fever-Tree Ginger Beer, or an artisanal brand.
Ginger adds exactly what rum provided: sharpness, heat, and complexity. And it pairs perfectly with lime and mint. This is the version we recommend for first-time mixers.
Option 2 — Alcohol-free rum (the most authentic)
Alcohol-free spirits that mimic rum do exist and are improving year by year. Lyre’s Dark Cane Spirit, Sober Spirit R, or RHHM (the same ones that make JNPR). You can also achieve excellent results with Monin's rum-flavored syrup. Just remember to reduce the sugar amount if you do this!
You substitute the rum volume for volume. The result is closest to the original—it's the option for those who want a mojito that tastes like a mojito, period. The downside: the price. Expect 20–25€ per bottle, and you might need two.
Option 3 — Homemade ginger syrup (the most crafty)
Make one homemade ginger syrup (in French) !
It's more work, but the result has a depth that neither ginger beer nor alcohol-free rum can match. And it impresses guests who ask, 'What's your secret?'
Our recommendation
For the first time: ginger beer. It's simple, effective, cheap, and the result is stunning. If you want to impress: homemade ginger syrup. If you want the non-alcoholic version, here it is: alcohol-free rum.
All three work. Virgin Mojito is one of the few cocktails whose alcohol-free version really holds its own — enjoy it.
Bonus tip: many bars also use apple juice!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the base be prepared in advance?
Yes, and it's even recommended. Prepare the mint-lime-sugar base the day before and store it in the fridge. Add the carbonated water (or ginger beer) and crushed ice only at the very end — otherwise the bubbles will be dead by serving time.
How to go from 20 to 30 or 50 people?
Scale everything proportionally. For 30 people: x1.5. For 50: x2.5. The only thing that changes: use a second large bowl instead of one huge one. It's more practical for serving and prevents everyone from gathering in one spot.
Can we serve a classic mojito and a virgin mojito side by side?
In fact, it's ideal. Prepare the two bases in separate salad bowls, clearly labeled. The base is the same—just add rum to one of them. This way, everyone serves themselves the same way and no one feels left out.
