With these 27 rum cocktails on offer, you’ll soon be daydreaming about white sand beaches, warm sun, azure sea . . .
…Oh, sorry, welcome back.
While a Caribbean idyll may not be in the cards, there’s no reason you can’t still drink like you’re on holiday.
Here’s 27 rum cocktails that’ll help you get your staycation on.
Rum’s come a long way since the college days we’d muddle it up with some Coke and wake up with no recollection of our names (or socks) in the morning.
Good times.
In the last few decades, the quality and selection of rums on offer has evolved to become on par with the likes of wine and whisky.
But where to begin?
From gorgeous, honeyed Pineapple Basil Rum Cocktails (#1, you’re #1) to smooth, resonant autumn spiced rum and zingy, invigorating Watermelon Rum Chillers—there’s a tantalizing rum-based tipple out there for everyone.
Bottoms up!
Sweet, sour and perfectly pineapple-y-tropic like it’s hot with this bright, cheerful aperitif.
It’s basically sunshine in a glass.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge on the rim to serve.
We’re nuts—get it?—for this smooth, subtle tipple infused with all the flavors of summer.
Top up with ice-cubes and give it a good stir prior to serving—chilling your glass makes a big difference, too!
We can’t help but feel that this’d be particularly welcome at Christmas-time.
And after driving around on a sleigh all night, we wager Santa would appreciate this far more than a glass of milk, too (though we’re uncertain how well it pairs with cookies).
The color alone is enough to warm our insides right up.
A rich, soft gingerbread pudding of a drink.
Light, fruity, satisfying—this is one to sip, not slam.
It’s wonderfully pretty, exceedingly simple and most importantly: very alcoholic.
Asking for more would be getting greedy.
Now to go about making enough of this to fill a flask .
Suavely harmonious with a vibrantly fruity flavor that’ll put the spring back in your step.
This is a lovely Sunday evening pick-me-up as you lament the end of the weekend.
Now, we think this toes the line between beguiling and cloyingly sweet quite well but if you’re of the mind that alcohol should burn on the way down, you’re welcome to omit some of the fruit juice.
A warming, acerbic rum sour with a pronounced sensuous slinkiness.
We love the evocative smoke and brine-y sea spray thing it’s got going on; there’s some really well-balanced, melodious flavors at play here.
A fail-safe choice for your next get together!
A grand old spiced cocktail with some serious fireside potential.
The alcoholic equivalent of your favorite sweater.
A dash of cider, a little cinnamon, some star anise: the result is all Christmassy splendor and warmth.
Bafflingly good and a breeze to mix up—this cheerful, fruity party starter is just crying out to be lifted in celebratory toast.
To what? Well, drinking, of course.
You’ll want to put out your prettiest punch bowl and glasses for this one.
A lovely melee of marvelous, sunny flavors.
No celebration is complete without these tasty, unfussy drinks with rum.
This one’s bafflingly easy to throw back, so take care or you’ll end up a Drunken Monkey yourself.
Cooking Chew Tip: Serve alongside a rich mango mousse/sorbet/something or the other.
Beat back the blues with this quaintly-named toddy!
Presumably it’s called a Bee’s Kiss because of the honey syrup in it, though we still can’t help but think bees and kisses shouldn’t mix.
If you’re in the mood for something with a nice spicy thwack to it, you can add a ½ quill of cinnamon to the honey syrup in the saucepan.
What better way to ring in the arrival of summer (and the turning off of your central heating) than by getting tipsy with some frozen cocktails?
This one calls for watermelon, which as we all know, is the quintessential summer fruit.
All it needs is a little umbrella and a sliver of sunlight in which to enjoy it.
Perfect.
Arrrrrr . . . you going to finish that or what?
This blessedly simple, well-rounded aperitif is just the thing to bring the color back to your cheeks.
It’s full of character, with fruity notes and a spiced-rum wallop that’ll get you sitting up straight.
Edible gold leaf optional but highly recommended.
A garland of flowers round our necks and one of these in our hands . . . we’re luau- ready, baby.
Bring out the Hawaiian print shirts and the tiki torches.
A decent stand in for the sun come winter, this easy, breezy cocktail is perfect for when you want something quick and easy to curl up with.
A splash of orange juice, a dash of coconut rum and you’ve got yourself some tropical reverie in a glass.
Take the edge off with this fun, easy twist on the classic root beer float!
A surprisingly refreshing, smooth companion to a punchy curry or herbaceous roast.
This one’s easy to scale up, too, so it’s perfect for when you’re expecting company.
You can muddle it up right in the pitcher.
Because guavas are sorely underappreciated.
The mellifluous blend of citrus and sweet flavors in the Cointreau play well with tart, fruity notes of the pineapple infused rum for a drink that’s exceedingly sippable.
Just the ticket for a spring night on the patio.
We’re prime targets for this sweet, velvety cocktail which happens to be amongst the most popular rum drinks there are.
Particularly when it’s gray out and we’re in need of something with some serious misery-busting potential.
It lends itself particularly well to enhancing the feeling of post-dinner coziness we so look forward to on our evenings in.
Wonderfully satisfying, superbly flavorful and all ripe fruit richness, the Jungle Bird is a bright, beautiful celebration of all things summer.
This is one for sipping daintily away on a rooftop terrace with a little chocolate and stilton alongside.
Excuse us. We’ve got a little daydreaming to do.
It was a dark and stormy night . . .
…and we were nestled safely indoors watching the rain beat on the panes with a cocktail safely in hand.
Or is that not how the story goes?
Oh well. We like this version way better.
This zesty, acerbic aperitif far outstrips having to wrestle with your umbrella, in any case.
Few things are as immediately pleasurable as an ice-cold daiquiri.
Summer is very nearly upon us—get ahead of the heat with this candied, fizzy cooler.
The recipe doesn’t call for a particular sort of rum, but your standard white variety will do nicely!
21. Classic Mai Tai
Get trashed in style with this sleek, elegant Mai Tai.
Glamorous and high-brow – the Mai Tai is indubitably the Meryl Streep of the cocktail world.
Ooo. We’re a little intimidated.
22. Coquito
Now here’s a bonafide Caribbean classic.
Traditionally served around Christmas-time, this festive tipple would be the perfect tot for an impromptu carol sesh (or two).
Deeply warming and almost insidiously good—tis the season to get tipsy, fa la la la la, la la la la.
23. The Painkiller
Strongly redolent of balmy summer evenings spent beachside, this punchy, head-clearing cocktail is a fine match for the start of a night out.
Debauchery optional, of course.
Be sure you give this nice, firm stir with your mixing spoon prior to dusting it with cinnamon unless you want sediment in your tipple.
24. Hot Buttered Rum
Buttered rum doesn’t warrant the surgical, prescriptive treatment it’s often given.
There’s no need for precision—that’s right.
Put the measuring spoons away. Slowly.
You’re meant to toss it together, with all the ingredients followed by judicious tasting rather than painstaking measurements to the drop.
This is a well-spiced, robust version that’ll hold up very well to whatever experimentation you might subject it to.
Drinks to make with rum don’t get a whole lot easier.
The Rum Runner has traditionally been regarded as the patchwork quilt of the cocktail bar.
There’s as many different riffs on it as there are bartenders shaking them up.
The important thing, of course, is the presence of alcohol in prodigious quantities.
This iteration is big on fruity flavors—banana, raspberry, pineapple, orange…
…but the grenadine and rum proffer a balancing sharpness that makes for a very well rounded tipple!
One of our favorite sweet rum drinks by far.
A super refreshing, virtuously light tipple with a fresh, airy lusciously-fruity flavor.
Ridiculously delicious, ludicrously simple and bizarrely easy to drink: it’s alcoholic alchemy of the highest order.
Mind the excess of adjectives there—we promise it’s far less scary than it sounds.
The recipe calls for the Bacardi brand of spiced rum but you’re welcome to use whichever you like.
It doesn’t get much easier than a cocktail you can build in the glass!
This bodaciously-berry number will come together right in the highball or tumbler you want to serve it in.
A spritz of citrus will round out the flavors then tip in your ice, garnish with a lovely spring of mint et voila.
A winsome, fragrant aperitif to keep you company.
The bottom line
The end of winter is an occasion that definitely calls for a celebratory round of drinks.
And what could be more evocative of the summer sun’s benevolent warmth than rum cocktail recipes?
With sales on the rise and an increasing number of options on the market, it’s safe to say rum is finally enjoying its moment in the limelight after years of being touted as the second-coming of gin.
Whether you fancy yourself a serious rum buff or have difficulty telling the light rum cocktails from the dark, there’s a rum cocktail on this list for everyone.
So: cocktails. How do you make yours?
27 Rum Cocktails
This epic list of lively Rum Recipes will have you hootin’ and hollerin’ in no time!
Ingredients
- Pineapple Basil Rum Cocktails
- Coconut Rum Punch
- Spiced Rum And Wine Cocktail
- Spiced Rum Cocktail With Apple Vodka
- Ambrosia Spiced Rum Cocktails
- Rum Sour Cocktail
- Autumn Spiced Rum Cider Cocktail
- Rum Punch Cocktail
- Drunken Monkey Cocktail
- The Bee’s Kiss Cocktails
- Watermelon Rum Chiller
- Pirate’s Booty Cocktail
- Blackberry Pineapple Rum Cocktail
- Winter Sunshine Coconut Rum Cocktail
- Creamy Root Beer Rum Cocktail
- Guava Rum Cocktail
- Rum Runner Cocktail
- Jungle Bird Cocktail
- Classic Dark N Stormy
- Raspberry Daiquiri
- Classic Mai Tai
- Coquito
- The Painkiller
- Hot Buttered Rum
- Frozen Rum Runner Cocktails
- Bacardi Rum Cocktails
- New Year’s Eve Rum Berry Cocktails
Instructions
- Choose your favorite recipe from our list of Rum Cocktails!
- Wave your magic wand to make it your own special recipe!
- Leave a comment on our Facebook page and share your new drink.