Bartenders don’t necessarily love the fuss of making them, but consumers do love their Mojitos—especially in the summer. So offering a great Mojito and being able to make making them quickly and consistently is important.

Recipes vary, but the cocktail typically calls for 1 1/2 oz. white rum, ¾ oz. to 1 oz. fresh lime juice, 2 teaspoons sugar or ¾ oz. simple syrup, 6-8 fresh mint leaves, 1 1/2 oz. soda water. David Conley, bartender at 3800 Ocean at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa in Florida, shares seven tips for making the perfect Mojito.

• Always make sure to use a build glass
• Use simple syrup. Regular syrup requires too much agitation of the drink.
• Always slap the mint leaves before putting them into the simple syrup in the build glass. Slapping the mint allows the essence of the herb to filter through the drink. Never tear the leaves, as this allows the bitter aspects of the stem to filter through the drink.
• Instead of lime wedges, use a citrus juicer and half of the lime. This will save your fingers from the acid and will also give you a tool to protect the mint leaves one they’ve been added to the build glass.
• Use the half lime as a shield over the mint. Muddle by applying pressure to the lime four times, making sure to keep the lime over the mint as protection.
• Only shake a few times to try not to beat the mint up.
• Instead of floating club soda on top of the drink, put the club soda on the bottom. Pour the drink over the top of the soda. This allows the soda water to evenly filter through the drink.