Below is a list of my favourite rum based cocktails which use some basic mix ingredients, no need to run out and buy ingredients. Chances are you already have everything you need at home. These are five simple rum based cocktails that you need to try, and more importantly can and should try making at home.
I’m writing this thinking of warmer weather, the beach, the sunshine and everything that is great. My reality like so many around the world is that it’s still early Spring, and just only starting to get warm. Something that always warms the heart is a well made cocktail.
Stay home and stay safe everyone!
Cuba Libre
Also known as a “rum and coke” it’s one of the easiest cocktails to make and often under appreciated. Traditionally this drink is made using a light rum like Bacardi, but I like pulling forward the caramel and vanilla flavours in the Coca-Cola and will usually go for a Havana Club 7. Grab a lime wedge, give it a light squeeze and garnish.
If you want to give it a little bit of a spin, try a few shakes of Angostura bitters to add a little more complexity.
Ingredients
1 oz rum
3 oz Coca-Cola
Steps
Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
Rum Negroni
A traditional Negroni can be a polarizing drink as the traditional version puts the Campari front and centre. In this version simply replace the gin for rum and it can help mellow the bitter out (just a bit). I like to use a strong flavoured rum for that, you really need something that can stand up to the Campari.
My rum suggestions here would be either a Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, or Gosling’s Black Seal. And if you can get it, Ironworks Bluenose Rum from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia is a real treat!
Ingredients
1 oz rum
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
Steps
Combine in a mixing glass with a cup of ice. Stir to chill. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with an orange twist
Dark and Stormy
Careful here, technically you can only call it a Dark and Stormy if you’re using Gosling’s Black Seal, they hold the trademark to the name. In reality you can make this spicy cocktail using any rum that has a good funk.
The story is that the Dark and Stormy was created after World War I in Barbados. The dark part in this cocktail is the rum, and the stormy is the ginger beer. It’s important to note that you must use ginger beer and not ginger ale, as these are two very different drinks.
Ingredients
2 oz dark rum
3 oz ginger beer
Steps
Pour two ounces of dark rum into a tall glass with ice. Finish off with three ounces of ginger beer. Stir and garnish with a lime.
Rum Old Fashioned
Another twist on a classic cocktail, swapping the bourbon here for some nice aged rum brings some new character to this classic. It brings forward some more complex flavours as there is more ability in rum to showcase a variety of expressions.
Ingredients
1 sugar cube
2 oz dark rum
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Steps
Muddle the sugar cube and bitters with one bar spoon of water. Add rum and stir. Add ice and stir until chilled and properly diluted. Squeeze and slip orange twist on the side of the cube.
The Daiquiri
When I refer to a Daiquiri I’m talking about a proper and elegant Daiquiri at it’s purest form. This is a drink that is all about balance, it’s easy to choose a too sweet rum or go too strong on the lime juice and you lose all the flavours.
Ingredients
2 oz light rum
1 oz fresh lime juice
3/4 oz demerara sugar syrup
Steps
Add all the ingredients into a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lime twist.
Enjoy these classics while thinking of better warmer times, and if you have your own favourites feel free to share with me in the comments below or message me directly via your preferred social network.
-Time flies when you’re having RUM.
While writing this post I was enjoying some Fortress Rum and some Blackstrap Rum Double Barrelled by Last Straw who I visited recently and wrote about. Both enjoyed neat.
Feature image by Iago DL on Unsplash
Cocktail images by Over the Barrel Proof on Instagram
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