A quality-made rum co*cktail is transportive.
Whether or not its summer, you’re a snowbird escaping to a Caribbean island in the heart of winter, or you’re simply mixing up your own libation at home — rum co*cktails exude the tropics in a glass. Contrary to popular belief, rum drinks are not all about sweet Piña coladas and potent mojitos; there’s a wide variety of rum drinks out there, from tiki classics to twists on celebrated co*cktails, that showcase the spirits’ nuances.
Top Rum Drinks
From the painkiller, a piña coladas mature cousin, to unique recipes like the Tipsy Toucan, have fun experimenting with these eight rum drinks that are sure to bring a smile to your face no matter the temperature outside.
Painkiller
The ingredients may read similar to a piña colada, but the Painkiller is a trademarked drink by puss*r’s Rum and has its own origin story that dates back to the British Virgin Islands in the 1970s. The stand out differences: it’s not blended and is built from a base of puss*r’s dark rum rather than light rum.
Ingredients: 2 oz puss*r’s Rum, 4 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1 oz cream of coconut, freshly grated nutmeg
Method: Add all liquid ingredients to a co*cktail shaker with ice; shake vigorously. Pour into a tall glass or goblet filled with ice. Grate fresh nutmeg on top; garnish with an orange slice and Maraschino cherry.
Ti’ Punch
Celebrated as the national co*cktail of Martinique and Guadeloupe, Ti’ is an abbreviation for “petite” in the French Caribbean islands’ native tongue. Only three ingredients are required to make this refreshing yet potent petite, or small, punch.
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Ingredients: 2 oz rhum agricole, 1 oz lime juice, 0.25 oz simple syrup
Method: Squeeze the lime juice into a low glass; add the simple syrup and stir together. Add the rhum agricole and ice (optional) and garnish with a lime wheel.
3 Dots & A Dash
Morse code for “V,” which stood for “victory” by its creator Donn Beach, this popular tiki co*cktail was invented during WWII. The co*cktail is well-balanced, hitting almost every note on the palate with sweet, bitter, and spice.
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Martinique rhum agricole, 0.5 oz blended aged rum, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz fresh orange juice, 0.25 oz velvet falernum, 0.25 oz allspice dram, 0.25 oz honey syrup, 1 dash Angostura bitters
Method: Combine all ingredients into a blender with crushed ice to the rim; flash-blend then pour into a pilsner glass. If you don’t have a blender, add all ingredients to a co*cktail shaker with crushed ice, shake gently then empty the tin into a pilsner glass, ice and all, for a similar effect. Garnish with three Maraschino cherries (3 dots) and a pineapple frond.
Mai Tai
Though this tiki drink has become synonymous with Hawaii, it was reputedly created in Oakland, Calif. by Victor Bergeron at his Trader Vic’s bar. In the 1950s, the hotel group behind the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Hotel in Waikiki commissioned Bergeron to create their co*cktail list and as tourism boomed from this period on, the Mai Tai he included on the list became the island state’s signature co*cktail.
Ingredients: 1.5 oz white rum, 0.75 oz dark rum, 0.5 orange curaçao, 0.5 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz orgeat,
Method: Combine all ingredients except the dark rum into a co*cktail shaker with ice; shake gently and strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Slowly pour the dark rum in to float on top of the co*cktail; garnish with a lime wheel, slice of pineapple and optional cherry.
Passion Pineapple Sour
Star & Key’s terroir-driven rum infused with passionfruit adds complex layers to any classic rum drink, but this recipe is a stand out – drawing parallel flavors to a piña colada but with unexpected complementary notes from the lemon juice and Champagne.
Ingredients: 2 oz Star & Key Passion Fruit Rum, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.75 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz egg white, 0.5 oz demerara sugar syrup, splash of Champagne
Method: Add all ingredients, except for the Champagne, to a shaker; dry shake (without ice) then add ice, shake again and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne and garnish with a skewered cherry.
Copalli Tipsy Toucan
Another way to impress guests with tropical flavors in a new format comes from Copalli Rum, an organic, single-estate rum out of Belize. The banana liqueur and coconut cream make this sip taste like a vacation in a glass — no matter where you are.
Ingredients: 2 oz Copalli White Rum, 0.75 oz banana liqueur, 0.75 oz coconut cream, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.75 oz fresh orange juice, 1 dash Angostura bitters
Method: Add the soda water to a chilled Champagne flute and set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a co*cktail shaker with ice; shake then strain into the Champagne flute with the soda water at the bottom. Garnish with an orange twist spiral.
The Sunburn
Sunshine Punch has become popular for its ready-to-serve citrus, creme and rum co*cktail in a bottle that’s designed to be poured over ice or combined with ingredients to create a more elaborate drink. Their Sunburn co*cktail emphasizes the key flavors of the base ingredient (which are often likened to an orange creamsicle).
Ingredients: 2 oz Sunshine Punch, 2 oz pineapple juice, 0.5 oz coconut rum, dark rum float.
Method: Combine all ingredient, except for the dark rum, in an ice-filled shaker; shake for 20 seconds. Pour into a rocks glass over fresh ice, float over the dark rum to the rim and garnish with an orange wedge.
Brugal 1888 Jungle Negroni
A playful riff on the classic Jungle Bird co*cktail, Brugal 1888 puts forward their fruity yet sophisticated summer sip that only requires three ingredients.
Ingredients: 1 oz Brugal 1888 rum, 0.3 oz Campari, 0.3 oz pineapple syrup
Method: Add all ingredients into a glass co*cktail beaker with ice, stir together then strain into a low-ball glass with a large cube of ice.
