Mojito: one glass is more than one standard drink

The randomised trial that comes closest to the drink itself tested the mixer rather than the rum. In twelve healthy adults aged 19 to 64, the same 0.5 g/kg dose of vodka gave a higher peak breath alcohol concentration with a sugar-free cola than with a regular one, 38.3 against 34.8 microg/100 mL, in a single session. A mojito is topped with sparkling water, which carries no sucrose either, though that drink was not the one tested. In the same twelve people the stomach emptied the sugar-free drink about 11 minutes faster, 100.1 against 110.7 minutes, with standard deviations wide enough that the size of the gap stays uncertain. The number that belongs to the drink itself is plainer. US dietary surveys record one mojito at 225 g holding 17.1 g of ethyl alcohol and 137 kcal, more pure alcohol than the 14 g in one US standard drink. That per-serving figure is arithmetic from a value measured per 100 g rather than a measurement of a poured glass, and bartenders mix different ratios.

How much is actually in it

• One mojito as recorded in US dietary surveys weighs 225 g and carries 17.1 g of ethyl alcohol and 137 kcal, so a single glass holds more pure alcohol than one US standard drink of 14 g. — US survey food code 93301125, household measures 1 fl oz (30 g), 1 drink (225 g) Evidence E source
  61 kcal and 7.6 g ethanol per 100 g, giving 137.2 kcal and 17.1 g ethanol per 1 drink

What your body absorbs

• In a randomised crossover trial in 12 adults, the same vodka dose mixed with a sugar-free cola produced a higher peak breath alcohol concentration (38.3 vs 34.8 microg/100 mL) than the same dose mixed with regular cola. — 12 healthy volunteers (8 men, 4 women), aged 19-64, each studied twice, 0.5 g/kg body weight of vodka 37.5% ABV drunk over 1 minute, breath measured every 15 minutes for 3 hours (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Peak BrAC 38.3 +/- 9.45 vs 34.8 +/- 6.82 microg/100 mL, AUC 0-180 min 45249.0 vs 40439.25 microg.min/L
• In that same trial the stomach emptied the sugar-free drink about 11 minutes faster (half-emptying time 100.1 vs 110.7 minutes), which is the route by which the mixer changes how fast alcohol reaches the blood. — the same 12 healthy volunteers, breath samples taken for gastric emptying after each breath alcohol measurement (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Gastric half-emptying 100.09 +/- 35.42 vs 110.74 +/- 66.71 min, lag phase 49.35 vs 46.63 min

Safety, limits and interactions

• The US CDC sets moderate drinking at two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. The CDC counts standard drinks, and by our own arithmetic the 17.1 g of ethanol in one 225 g mojito already reaches that ceiling for a woman. — adults of legal drinking age in the United States Evidence E source
  Ceiling of 2 drinks per day for men, 1 drink per day for women
• Across two US cohorts of 122,744 adults, the highest fifth of intake of furocoumarins, the phototoxic compounds carried by citrus such as lime, went with a 16% higher rate of basal cell carcinoma (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.21). — 47,453 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and 75,291 women in the Nurses' Health Study, diet measured every 2-4 years, followed 1984-2012 and 1986-2012 (n = 122744) Evidence C source
  Pooled HR 1.16 (95% CI 1.11, 1.21) for basal cell carcinoma, top vs bottom quintile; no association with squamous cell carcinoma or melanoma

What people believe that the data does not support

• The mint in a mojito is often sold as brain food, but the trial behind that idea gave 90 adults 900 mg a day of concentrated spearmint extract in capsules for 90 days and found working memory quality 15% better than placebo. — 90 adults with age-associated memory impairment, 67% female, mean age 59.4 years, randomised to 900, 600 or 0 mg/day of spearmint extract for 90 days (n = 90) Evidence B source
  Quality of working memory +15% (p = 0.0469) and spatial working memory accuracy +9% (p = 0.0456) at 900 mg/day versus placebo

Who this works differently for

• The US CDC advises no alcohol at all, even in moderation, for anyone who is pregnant or might be pregnant, and the same page places people under 21 and people taking medicines that interact with alcohol in that group. — pregnant people, people who might be pregnant, people under 21, people on interacting medication Evidence E source
  No amount advised

The bottom line

Mint is the part of the glass that gets sold as brain food. The trial behind that idea gave 90 adults with age-associated memory impairment, mean age 59.4 years, 900 mg a day of concentrated spearmint extract in capsules for 90 days, and working memory quality came out 15 percent better than placebo (p = 0.0469). That is a capsule dose far above what a few muddled leaves deliver, given to people who already had memory complaints. Nothing in that trial was drunk. The caution on this page is the alcohol itself. The US CDC sets moderate drinking at two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women. The ceiling counts standard drinks, so the arithmetic that puts one 225 g mojito at or past the limit for a woman is ours and not the agency's. The same CDC page advises no alcohol at all for anyone pregnant or who might be pregnant, for people under 21, and for people taking medicines that interact with alcohol. It names no drug, so which medicine that is has to come from the product label. One weaker finding sits beside those. Across two US cohorts of 122,744 adults, the top fifth of furocoumarin intake, the compounds lime carries, went with a 16 percent higher rate of basal cell carcinoma (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.21), an observational association driven mostly by grapefruit and orange. Sun exposure is the dominant cause of that cancer. We found nothing in our sources on what muddling, ice or holding time do to the drink.

Sources

1. moji-r1-03 · food composition dataset
   Mojito, 1 drink (225 g): Energy 137.2 KCAL, Alcohol ethyl 17.1 G, Carbohydrate by difference 5.5 G (FNDDS food code 93301125, fdc_id 2710644)
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 93301125, FDC ID 2710644 · checked 2026-09-24
2. moji-r1-01 · randomised crossover trial
   Diet coke increased both the peak BrAC (38.3 ± 9.45 vs. 34.8 ± 6.82 μg/100 mL) and the area under the breath ethanol curve between 0 and 180 minutes
   Toxicol Lett, 2025 · checked 2026-09-24
3. moji-r1-02 · randomised crossover trial
   Using nonlinear regression analysis, the diet drink showed a shorter half-emptying time (t1/2) than the regular drink (100.09 ± 35.42 vs. 110.74 ± 66.71 min), while the lag phase (tlag) was slightly longer (49.35 ± 13.52 vs. 46.63 ± 13.90 min)
   Toxicol Lett, 2025 · checked 2026-09-24
4. moji-r1-04 · agency guidance
   For men—two drinks or less in a day....For women—one drink or less in a day.
   CDC, About Moderate Alcohol Use, 2025 · checked 2026-09-24
5. moji-r1-06 · prospective cohort
   Higher intake of total furocoumarins was associated with an increased risk of BCC; the pooled HR comparing the top with the bottom quintile was 1.16 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.21; P-trend = 0.002).
   J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-24
6. moji-r1-07 · randomised controlled trial
   Quality of working memory and spatial working memory accuracy improved after supplementation with 900 mg/day spearmint extract by 15% (p = 0.0469) and 9% (p = 0.0456), respectively, versus placebo.
   J Altern Complement Med, 2018 · checked 2026-09-24
7. moji-r1-05 · agency guidance
   Are pregnant or might be pregnant....Are taking medications that can interact with alcohol.
   CDC, About Moderate Alcohol Use, 2025 · checked 2026-09-24