Rum cocktails
22 classic recipes from our canon that use rum — Rum sits in our spirits shelf.
Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar in perfect tension — deceptively simple, endlessly refreshing.
Ingredients
- ◆60 ml white rum
- ◆20 ml lime juice
- ◆10 ml simple syrup
Method
- 1Shake everything hard with ice for 10–12 seconds.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Chill the coupe first — a warm glass kills a drink this delicate.
Garnish — Lime wheel
Mojito
Mint, lime and soda over rum — a Havana classic built for hot afternoons.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml white rum
- ◆20 ml lime juice
- ◆10 ml simple syrup
- ◆6 leaves mint
- ◆to top club soda
Method
- 1Gently press the mint with lime juice and syrup — don't shred it.
- 2Add rum and ice, stir.
- 3Top with soda and stir once more.
PRO TIP
Slap the mint sprig between your hands before garnishing to wake up the aroma.
Garnish — Mint sprig
Piña Colada
Rum, pineapple and coconut, blended cold — a beach holiday in a glass.
Ingredients
- ◆50 ml white rum
- ◆30 ml coconut cream
- ◆50 ml pineapple juice
Method
- 1Blend with a cup of crushed ice until smooth.
- 2Pour into a chilled hurricane glass.
PRO TIP
Cream of coconut, not coconut milk — the sweetness is doing real work.
Garnish — Pineapple wedge and cherry
Mai Tai
Two rums, orange, almond and lime — the tiki benchmark, not a fruit-punch slushie.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml triple sec
- ◆15 ml orgeat
- ◆30 ml lime juice
- ◆7 ml simple syrup
- ◆30 ml dark rum
Method
- 1Shake white rum, triple sec, orgeat and lime with crushed ice.
- 2Pour unstrained into a rocks glass.
- 3Float the dark rum over the top.
PRO TIP
A real Mai Tai is rum-forward and barely sweet — orgeat is the almond note.
Garnish — Mint sprig and spent lime shell
Zombie
Three rums, falernum and citrus with a hidden kick — the most notorious tiki drink of them all.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml dark rum
- ◆45 ml white rum
- ◆30 ml spiced rum
- ◆20 ml lime juice
- ◆15 ml falernum
- ◆10 ml grapefruit juice
- ◆5 ml cinnamon syrup
- ◆5 ml grenadine
- ◆1 dash angostura bitters
- ◆6 drops absinthe
Method
- 1Flash-blend everything with a scoop of crushed ice for a few seconds.
- 2Pour into a tall glass and add more crushed ice.
PRO TIP
Traditionally limited to two per customer — it hides its strength well.
Garnish — Mint sprig
Long Island Iced Tea
Five spirits, lemon and a splash of cola — no tea, all trouble.
Ingredients
- ◆15 ml vodka
- ◆15 ml gin
- ◆15 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml tequila
- ◆15 ml triple sec
- ◆25 ml lemon juice
- ◆30 ml simple syrup
- ◆to top cola
Method
- 1Shake everything except the cola with ice.
- 2Strain into an ice-filled highball.
- 3Top with cola for colour and a touch of sweetness.
PRO TIP
The cola is what gives it the iced-tea look — there's no actual tea in it.
Garnish — Lemon wedge
Dark 'n' Stormy
Spicy ginger beer with a dark rum storm cloud floated on top.
Ingredients
- ◆100 ml ginger beer
- ◆60 ml dark rum
Method
- 1Fill a highball with ice and pour in the ginger beer.
- 2Float the dark rum over the back of a spoon.
PRO TIP
Float the rum last — the dark cloud over pale ginger beer is the whole look.
Garnish — Lime wedge
Old Cuban
A grown-up mojito — aged rum, mint and lime lengthened with Champagne and bitters.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml dark rum
- ◆22 ml lime juice
- ◆30 ml simple syrup
- ◆6 leaves mint
- ◆2 dashes angostura bitters
- ◆60 ml prosecco
Method
- 1Shake everything except the sparkling wine with ice.
- 2Double-strain into a chilled coupe.
- 3Top gently with prosecco or Champagne.
PRO TIP
Audrey Saunders' modern classic — aged rum makes it elegant, not beachy.
Garnish — Mint sprig
Jungle Bird
Dark rum and Campari over pineapple and lime — bitter, tropical and unexpectedly sophisticated.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml dark rum
- ◆22 ml campari
- ◆45 ml pineapple juice
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆15 ml demerara syrup
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice.
- 2Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass.
PRO TIP
The Campari is what makes it — bitter against the sweet pineapple.
Garnish — Pineapple wedge
Cuba Libre
Rum and cola with a real squeeze of lime — the difference from a rum-and-coke is the lime.
Ingredients
- ◆50 ml white rum
- ◆120 ml cola
- ◆10 ml lime juice
Method
- 1Build over ice in a highball.
- 2Squeeze in a lime wedge and drop it in.
- 3Stir once.
PRO TIP
The fresh lime is what separates it from a plain rum and coke.
Garnish — Lime wedge
Hemingway Special
A dry, grapefruit-and-maraschino daiquiri — supposedly the author's preferred, sugarless version.
Ingredients
- ◆60 ml white rum
- ◆40 ml grapefruit juice
- ◆15 ml maraschino liqueur
- ◆15 ml lime juice
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a large chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Also called the Papa Doble — bone-dry by design.
Garnish — None
Between the Sheets
A Sidecar split between rum and cognac — boozy, citrusy and dangerously smooth.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml white rum
- ◆30 ml cognac
- ◆30 ml triple sec
- ◆20 ml lemon juice
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Cointreau is the classic choice for the triple sec.
Garnish — Lemon twist
Three Dots and a Dash
Aged and agricole rum with falernum, allspice and citrus — Morse code for 'victory'.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml dark rum
- ◆7 ml falernum
- ◆7 ml allspice dram
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆15 ml orange juice
- ◆15 ml honey syrup
- ◆2 dashes angostura bitters
Method
- 1Flash-blend everything with crushed ice.
- 2Pour into a tall glass and top with more crushed ice.
PRO TIP
The garnish spells the name — three cherries (dots) and a pineapple baton (dash).
Garnish — Three cherries and a pineapple chunk
Planter's Punch
Dark Jamaican rum, lime and cane sugar — the original rum punch, simple and strong.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml dark rum
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆30 ml demerara syrup
Method
- 1Build all ingredients in a tumbler.
- 2Add crushed ice and stir; adjust dilution with a little water to taste.
PRO TIP
Use a funky Jamaican rum — it carries the whole drink.
Garnish — Orange zest
Illegal
Mezcal and overproof rum with falernum and lime — smoky, tart and built to bite.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml mezcal
- ◆15 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml falernum
- ◆1 bar spoon maraschino liqueur
- ◆22 ml lime juice
- ◆15 ml simple syrup
- ◆few drops egg white
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice.
- 2Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or over rocks in a clay mug.
PRO TIP
Overproof Jamaican rum and espadín mezcal give it the backbone.
Garnish — None
Don's Special Daiquiri
A two-rum daiquiri with passion fruit and honey — Donn Beach's tiki take on the classic.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml dark rum
- ◆15 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml passion fruit syrup
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆15 ml honey syrup
Method
- 1Flash-blend everything with crushed ice for a few seconds.
- 2Pour into a footed glass and top with more crushed ice.
PRO TIP
Gold Jamaican rum brings the funk this drink wants.
Garnish — Half a passion fruit
IBA Tiki
A modern rum tiki with amaretto, passion fruit and pineapple over a slice of muddled ginger.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml white rum
- ◆30 ml dark rum
- ◆15 ml amaretto
- ◆5 ml frangelico
- ◆5 drops maraschino liqueur
- ◆30 ml passion fruit syrup
- ◆90 ml pineapple juice
- ◆30 ml lime juice
Method
- 1Muddle a thin slice of ginger in the shaker.
- 2Add the rest and shake vigorously with ice.
- 3Strain into a tiki glass filled with pebble ice.
PRO TIP
The muddled ginger is the modern twist — don't skip it.
Garnish — Citrus and dehydrated pineapple
Mary Pickford
White rum, pineapple, maraschino and a touch of grenadine — a sweet Prohibition-era star.
Ingredients
- ◆45 ml white rum
- ◆45 ml pineapple juice
- ◆7 ml maraschino liqueur
- ◆5 ml grenadine
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice until cold.
- 2Strain into a chilled coupe.
PRO TIP
Fresh pineapple juice makes all the difference here.
Garnish — Maraschino cherry
Canchánchara
Cuban cane spirit with honey and lime — rustic, ancient and barely changed in centuries.
Ingredients
- ◆60 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆15 ml honey syrup
Method
- 1Smear the honey, lime and a splash of water around the base of the glass.
- 2Add cracked ice, then the rum.
- 3Stir vigorously from the bottom up.
PRO TIP
Traditionally made with aguardiente — a young Cuban cane spirit.
Garnish — Lime wedge
Missionary's Downfall
A blended rum cooler with peach, mint and pineapple — bright, frozen and herbaceous.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml white rum
- ◆15 ml peach liqueur
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆30 ml honey syrup
- ◆10 leaves mint
- ◆4 chunks pineapple
Method
- 1Add everything to a blender with half a cup of crushed ice.
- 2Blend until smooth and pour into a chilled glass.
PRO TIP
A Donn Beach tiki original — the mint and peach are the signature.
Garnish — Mint sprig and pineapple
Hurricane
Two rums, passion fruit and citrus — a potent New Orleans crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
- ◆30 ml dark rum
- ◆30 ml white rum
- ◆30 ml passion fruit syrup
- ◆15 ml lime juice
- ◆30 ml orange juice
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice.
- 2Pour into a hurricane glass over fresh ice.
PRO TIP
Passion fruit is the signature — don't skip it.
Garnish — Orange slice and cherry
Painkiller
Dark rum with pineapple, orange and coconut, dusted with nutmeg — a richer, tropical cousin of the colada.
Ingredients
- ◆60 ml dark rum
- ◆120 ml pineapple juice
- ◆30 ml orange juice
- ◆30 ml coconut cream
Method
- 1Shake all ingredients with ice.
- 2Pour over crushed ice in a tall glass.
PRO TIP
Fresh-grated nutmeg on top is non-negotiable.
Garnish — Grated nutmeg and pineapple wedge
You can also use
Common substitutions that interchange with rum in these drinks.
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