🌿 Jaljeera Mojito

White rum, fresh mint, lime & jaljeera — cumin-and-black-salt spice mix

White Rum
10 min
Shake & Build
Rocks Glass, crushed ice
~11%
Ingredients
  • 45ml (1½ oz) white rum
  • 30ml (1 oz) tamarind syrup (see tips)
  • 15ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice
  • 1½ tsp jaljeera powder (commercial or homemade — see tips)
  • 13mm (½ inch) fresh ginger, peeled
  • 5 large fresh mint leaves
  • Soda water to top
  • Crushed ice
  • Dried tamarind slice, mint sprig & lime wheel to garnish
Method
  1. 1
    MuddleMuddle ginger and jaljeera powder in the base of a shaker. Add mint and clap it once over the shaker before adding.
  2. 2
    ShakeAdd rum, tamarind syrup, lime juice, and a handful of ice. Shake hard for 12 seconds.
  3. 3
    BuildFill a rocks glass with crushed ice layered with lime slices and fresh mint. Pour the drink (without straining) over the ice.
  4. 4
    TopTop with soda water. Stir gently once. Garnish with mint sprig, lime wheel, and a sliver of dried tamarind.

About This Cocktail

Jaljeera (literally 'cumin water') is an ancient Indian street drink sold by vendors across North India, prized as a digestive and summer cooler for centuries. Its blend of roasted cumin, coriander, dried mango powder (amchur), black salt, and mint is functionally similar to the aromatics of a mojito — just taken several steps further. Indian bartenders began making alcoholic jaljeera drinks around 2012–2015 in Delhi and Mumbai craft bars. The tamarind syrup replacing simple syrup adds an earthy sweet-sour depth that no classic mojito can match.

Variations

Vodka JaljeeraCleaner than the rum version — vodka lets the jaljeera spices dominate entirely
Jaljeera GimletGin + 30ml lime juice + 30ml jaljeera-infused simple syrup — shake, strain, serve up
Non-AlcoholicOmit rum, double the soda water — works perfectly as a mocktail serving for the table
Bartender Tips

Jaljeera powder blend (homemade): 1 tsp roasted cumin powder + ½ tsp coriander powder + 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder) + ¼ tsp black salt (kala namak) + pinch of hing (asafoetida). The kala namak is the key — its sulphurous, eggy quality is unmistakably Indian. Commercial jaljeera powder (MDH, Everest brands) is a perfectly good shortcut. Tamarind syrup: simmer 120ml water + 120ml sugar + 10g dried tamarind for 10 min, cool and strain.

The Specs
Spirit Base
White Rum
Method
Shake & Build
Glass
Rocks Glass, crushed ice
ABV
~11%
Where to Find It
Restaurants
Craft cocktail bars in Delhi and Mumbai; featured at Baar Baar (NYC), Indian bar menus across the US and UK
More from Indian Cocktails
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