Mojitos are making a comeback: 12 fresh takes on the classic by bartenders around Metro Manila

One by one, each contestant stepped behind the bar, preparing their signature twist on the mojito in front of the entire audience, including the panel of judges for the event: Lester Ligon, a veteran in the local bartending scene and World Class Bartender of the Year 2018; John Go, regarded as an expert in a variety of spirits, rum included; and Cojuanco, the so-called “farmer behind the brand.” Ranging from tropical renditions that underscored Luisita Blanco’s fruity profile to herbaceous and even savoury-leaning interpretations, the entries were a testament to the mojito’s perennial charm and infinite possibilities.

Judged on flavour and balance, creativity and technique, presentation, and use of Luisita Blanco, Eli Paraiso of Big Fuzz was named second runner-up, with Vince Uy of The Curator and Bin Alinor of Raion each nabbing a spot in the top two. For the final showdown, Uy and Alinor went head-to-head in an energetic speed round that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Allowed just one barback to assist in crushing and replenishing ice, the finalists were tasked to make as many mojitos as they could in just five minutes. The kicker? Each mojito must pass Ligon’s standards, and only those he considers to be “perfectly balanced” will count towards their tally. Ultimately, it was Alinor who took home the gold, with seven out of 13 mojitos passing the test. 

Looking for ways to revitalise the mojito? Find inspiration from these 12 cocktails that reimagine the mojito, as presented at Luisita Rum’s Mega Mojito Mania 2025.

In case you missed it: Meet Me at the Bar: Lester Ligon of The Grasshopper Bar, Legazpi Village

1. Way of Life

By Bin Alinor, Raion—Mega Mojito Mania champion

Ingredients

• 45ml Luisita Blanco
• 2pc lime wedge
• 6рс mint leaves
• 20ml dayap saccharum
• 5 dashes malic acid solution
• Top with palapa soda

Glass: highball
Method: build
Garnish: lime wheel and mint spring

“Reimagining the classic mojito with a touch of the flavours of Mindanao–I ​​wanted to stay true to the fresh and refreshing DNA of the mojito while also giving it a touch of my own culture and personal story.

Growing up in Marawi, we would often utilise these two ingredients that would now truly represent home for me: dayap, which is our local lime, and palapa, a staple condiment in Maranao cuisine. Palapa is usually made from sakurab, chillies, and ginger, cooked slowly over an open fire until it develops a spicy, sweet-savoury character. 

For my version of a mojito, I kept the classic and now layer it with the flavours of my heritage. The dayap adds a brighter, more aromatic acidity, while the palapa brings an unexpected kick: a balance of spice, smokiness, and warmth that transforms the cocktail into a cultural journey.

Every sip is meant to carry the vibrancy of my hometown and the story of how tradition can meet innovation without losing its soul.”

See also: Meet Me at the Bar: Kate Osmillo of Raion, Tatler’s Best New Bar 2025

2. No Use for Muddlers

By Vince, The Curator Coffee & Cocktails—Mega Mojito Mania runner-up

Ingredients

• 30ml Luisita Blanco
• 120ml passionfruit-mint tea soda
• 5ml olive brine
• passionfruit-mint tea soda
• Menta Branca
• passionfruit
• fresh milk
• lime
• water
• roasted oolong

“This one’s an ode to my earlier days of bartending; to one of the first [cocktails] I learned to make, alongside the mint juleps, mai tais, and tons and tons of daiquiris, my all-time favourite, the mojito—but this time with a twist on my newfound love for tea.

Putting my love for our work on display in this drink, but keeping in mind not to take myself too seriously and sharing flavours I’ve grown to love even more with the people around me, this is a reflection of my character as a bartender striving to create a homey space in our own bars. Tagay!”

Related: What makes a standout bar? The Curator and The Back Room share industry insights

3. Remedy

By Eli Paraiso, Big Fuzz—Mega Mojito Mania second runner-up

Ingredients

• 60ml Luisita Blanco Rum
• 15ml fresh dayap juice
• 15ml charred lemongrass-ginger-dayap cheong
• 1 fresh oregano leaf, muddled
• Top with soda water
• Garnish with a fresh oregano leaf

“Long before it became a cocktail bar staple, the mojito began as a remedy. Imagine, back in 16th-century Cuba, sailors weren’t mixing rum, lime, sugar, and mint for the flavour; they were doing it because they needed something to help ease the ailments of life at sea.

The idea of a healing drink hits close to home. Growing up, whenever I felt sick or just a little off, my mum had her own kind of remedy: a simple tea made from oregano, lemongrass, and ginger, steeped in hot water. She didn’t follow recipes, just her intuition, care, and whatever was growing in our small garden.

Since oregano is actually part of the mint family, I decided to swap out the mojito’s traditional mint for something more personal—an herb that reminded me of home, of my mum, and of that garden where healing was always just a few leaves away.

So when I created the Remedy cocktail, I wanted it to be a tribute to both of those traditions: the mojito’s restorative roots and the simple, homemade cures I grew up with. This cocktail feels both refreshingly new and quietly familiar—blending global history, cherished family tradition, and the spirit of community into one glass.”

Read more: Manila by night: 10 hottest bars and clubs you should know in Metro Manila

4. Moo-Hito

By Ron Cruz, Fat Cat

Ingredients

• 40ml Luisita Blanco
• 20ml Cognac
• 22.5ml peach lactose syrup
• 22.5ml lemon juice
• Top with mint tea soda

“A playful riff on the historic Philadelphia Fish House Punch. The Fish House was where America’s earliest punch culture began, but instead of a heavy bowl drink, we have something bright, sparkling, and Filipino.

The name is a double wordplay: Moo for the lactose, and Hito–Filipino for catfish–as a wink back to the ‘Fish House.’

So what you’re drinking is part homage, part reinvention: a bridge from colonial Philadelphia to modern Manila, and a celebration of how rum’s story continues to evolve in the Philippines.”

See also: Fat Cat—learn all about our Tatler Best Bar of the Year 2025

5. Field to Glass

By Abby Maine, Bar Flora

Ingredients

• 45ml Luisita Blanco
• 60ml guava cordial
• 10ml lime juice
• 90ml green apple genmaicha soda
• Garnish: mint and edible flowers

“[Dedicated to] the hardworking farmers who harvest sugarcane to make the rum that brings us all together. But it's not just sugarcane—every fruit, vegetable, and crop that ends up on our tables or in our drinks requires the tireless efforts of farmers. They plant, nurture, and harvest with precision and love, ensuring we enjoy the best produce.

Inspired by the fusion of flavours from around the world, our mojito brings together the subtle nuances of Japanese green tea and the bold spirit of Luisita Blanco aged in oak barrels, perfectly balanced to suit the sweet and tropical tastes of the Filipino palate.”

Read more: The women of Bar Flora are changing the way Quezon City drinks

6. Luisito

By Enrico Luis Adolfo, 2B

Ingredients

• 60ml Luisita Blanco
• 20ml mango and mint shrub
• 60ml coconut cream soda

Glass: highball
Method: build

“For Luisita Blanco's Mega Mojito Mania, I present, Luisito: my modern interpretation of the classic mojito. The name stems from the combination of Luisita and mojito, simply becoming Luisito. It's also a callback to my college days, when one of my former professors used to call me Spanish versions of my name, like Enrique and Luis.

The drink is inspired by a coconut and mango ice cream treat I had in Boracay earlier this year, and it hit me—why not make this dessert into a drink that l’d enjoy while walking by the beach? And here we are. It presents a familiar, yet flavorful approach to the classic, perfect to capture the Filipino essence of Luisita Blanco. Garnished with mint air and leaf, to cap it off with that signature aroma and freshness that a mojito must have.”

Read more: The secret history of pop-culture cocktails from movies, TV and music

7. Oasis

By Elmo, Big Fuzz

Ingredients

• 60ml Luisita Blanco
• 22.5ml olive oil cordial
• 15ml lime juice
• 45ml Greek yoghurt-based mint chutney
• Clarified and force-carbonated

“I've always loved playing with flavours, whether it’s adding spices to canned tuna or mixing all the options in a soda machine. It’s something I acquired growing up in a country like Saudi Arabia that’s abundant with spice and bold flavours - something I wanted to bring with me when I moved to the Philippines. Putting spices in a mojito? It’s the perfect template.

Herbs and spices are ingredients that I’ve always known since childhood, so having a mint chutney as a base made a lot of sense for me. Made with Greek yoghurt, cumin and a lot of mint, the chutney provides a unique, refreshing base for the classic Mojito. Paired with the smooth, tropical notes of Luisita Blanco, some lime and olive oil for freshness, then clarified and force-carbonated, the Oasis is a wild combination of a lot of things I love and my experiences. It’s refreshing and playful, yet deceptively simple.”

See also: Sip with clarity: how tempo drinking makes every toast more enjoyable

8. Saudade

By Chris, Hakid

Ingredients

• 45ml Luisita Blanco
• 22.5ml lime
• 15ml rich simple syrup
• 7.5 pomegranate molasses syrup
• 5ml chutney liqueur
• 1 dash black pepper tincture
• 5-6 mint leaves
• Top with cumin-infused soda

“My diasporic existence has had me finding compromises between myself, the people around me, and the environments I’ve found myself in. The memory of mint chutney sandwiches, tea-times with samosas and sawsawan have been replicated in varying degrees, the older I got and the further I’ve grown away from where I was and who I used to be. A big part in keeping this personal compromise, are my hands that work and coax memories into food and drink. Saudade is the longing for something that doesn't exist anymore. Base note flavours that coloured my palate have been repeatedly replicated and shared.

Saudade is a savoury take on the mojito, keeping within the familiar notes of fresh mint and Luisita's flavorful white rum while elevating flavour notes of black pepper, coriander, and cumin with a hint of tangy pomegranate in the background. A drink that reminds you of mint chutney, but isn’t.”

Read more: Zero-proof drinks are big business: 8 celebrity-backed non-alcoholic beverages

9. Mojito Glow-Up

By Spyrro, AKA

Ingredients

• 60ml of Luisita Rum Blanco
• 30 mint leaves
• 15ml of lime juice
• 30ml of wasabi and nori syrup
• Crushed ice
• 45ml of soda
• Garnish with mint and lime wedge

“A little while ago, [there was] a shortage of mint in Manila. It made me ponder what to use as an alternative to the mint and look for inspiration. I hoped to create a drink that had pungency and some slight savoury notes, and I found that with wasabi and nori.

Our foundation, the classic mojito, made with fresh mint and Luisita Blanco, gives the drink its signature hint of caramelised bananas. The zest comes from the lemon, providing a bright and clean note.

This drink’s true glow up comes from the wasabi and nori syrup. Wasabi for sophistication and a secondary spice that complements the cool note of mint. The nori, on the other hand, introduces a unique layer of umami that a classic mojito simply doesn’t have. This isn’t just a mojito; this is a mojito after its glow-up.”

Read more: The science of flavour: 5 books every curious cook should own

10. Chai mojito

By Kevin, Opal

Ingredients

• 45ml Lusita Blanco
• 30ml date cordial
• 5-6 mint leaves
• Top with chai maghribi soda
• Absinthe spray

“This cocktail is born out of homesickness and nostalgia. Growing up in the Middle East, chai maghribi was a taste I never would have known if I hadn’t lived there. Now, in the Philippines, I’ve reimagined those flavours through a mojito—mint, [for] brightness and sweetness from dates— a blend that carries memory in every sip along with Luisita Rum, a reminder to never forget [one’s own] heritage.

This drink is about honouring the cultures that shaped us. It’s the bittersweet experience of leaving one home behind while learning to grow roots in another. This is dedicated to everyone who had to adapt in unfamiliar, uncomfortable places. I hope you find home wherever life plants you.”

See also: 7 food podcasts to deepen your knowledge of culinary history and culture

11. Smoke and Dynamite

By Vern, Fat Cat

Ingredients

• 45ml Luisita Blanco
• 15ml Laphroaig
• 15ml crème de menthe
• 15ml crème de Cacao
• 30ml milky mint cordial
• Mint leaves
• Soda water

“I started with a mojito—light, minty, refreshing. But I wanted more weight, more character.

I’ve never been a fan of sweet drinks. I like cocktails that are strong and straightforward.

Someone once asked me to make a grasshopper, but with Scotch. It was the first time I enjoyed a slightly sweet cocktail. Remembering this, I decided to bring together two minty favourites in one drink.

My drink is a lovechild of the classic mojito and classic grasshopper, made with Luisita Rum and Islay whisky. Creamy, minty, sweet, and refreshing with a kick—a mojito at heart, but kissed by smoke and danger.”

Related: First look: El Gato and Cattery, two new bars by the award-winning Fat Cat team

12. Tamajito

By Neumann Obregon, The Attic

Ingredients

• Luisita blanco
• Tamarillo syrup
• Tamarillo shrub
• Calamansi
• Mint tea soda
• Garnish: tamarillo mint tea caviar, mint leaves

“Growing up in a family of farmers, I‘m fond of listening to their stories of unusual fruits that they [used to eat way back when]. One of them is tamarillo, a local tomato-like fruit usually found in the province of Bicol.

The way my parents describe the nostalgic flavour of balanced sweetness and fruity notes really excites me, [almost as if] I can even feel every note on my tongue. I promised myself that one day, I’d share how great tamarillo is [with others].

I present, Tamajito: tamarillo in mojito, a local fruit with Luisita Blanco, my own riff on the mojito. A familiar yet unique balance of fruity sweetness and the citrusy flavour of calamansi, highlighted with the freshness and calming sensation of homemade mint tea soda.”

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