Rum is a spirit for all seasons--a favorite in tall, chilled summer drinks and a traditional ingredient of winter holiday cheer. It is the drink of romantics and adventurers. It was the pirates' drink: "Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum."
While the simple Rum and Cola has long been among America's top ten favorite drinks, rums are also the base for many tropical cocktails, including the Daquiri, Zombie, Mai Tai, and Pina Colada. Often mixed with a popourri of fruit juices, these drinks are usually distinguished by exotic garnishes such as orchids. Paper parasols and plastic monkeys also often decorate these drinks, which adventurous bartenders sometimes serve in unusual containers, such as hollowed-out coconut shells.
Rum is made from sugar cane boiled down to a rich residue called molasses, which is then fermented and distilled. Light rums are clear to pale gold in color; dark rums are amber to a rich mahogany in color. Both light and dark versions are normally 80 proof.
Light rums are traditionally produced in the southern Caribbean Islands like puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Barbados. They do not require extensive aging, with six months in oak casks often being long enough, although a year's aging is more common.
Dark rum results from aging the spirit from 3 to 12 years and, in some cases, from the addition of caramel. It is very aromatic and has a heavier, richer flavor than light rum. Dark rum is produced in the tropics: Jamaica, Haiti, or Martinique. While supplying the punch in Planter's Punch and the rich flavor in a variety of tropical and hot drinks, the best dark rums can also be savored like a fine brandy.
There are also 151-proof rums, which are excellent in drinks and desserts that call for flaming.
In recent years, a number of specialty rums have been introduced, flavored with coconut, spices, or fruit. These flavored rums can give mainstream rum drinks a different twist.
Shake rum, amaretto, and orange juice with ice and pour into a highball glass over ice. Top with grenadine and garnish with a pineapple wedge and a strawberry.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Combine ingredients and pour over cracked ice into highball glass. Garnish with a strawberry or cherry.
Shake ingredients with crushed ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a banana slice and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass with sugared rim. Garnish with a lime rim.
Pour ingredients into ice-filled old-fashioned glass.
Stir with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a black olive.
Stir in brandy snifter and add cracked ice.
Combine ingredients with 1 cup crushed ice in blender at high speed. Pour into highball glass. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
Stir well with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Put 1/2 cup of crushed ice in blender. Add all ingredients and blend at low speed. Pour into old-fashioned glass.
Into collins glass, pour lemon juice, sugar, and 2 oz club soda. Stir. Fill glass with cracked ice and add rum. Fill with club soda or ginger ale and stir again. Add a spiral of orange or lemon peel and dangle end over rim of glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Pour ingredients into highball glass over ice cubes and stir. Fill with ginger ice.
Shake with ice and strain into highball glass over ice cubes. Fill with red wine and stir. Decorate with fruits.
Serve over ice cubes in 6 oz glass with pineapple slices, orange slice, and a cherry.
Pour rum and banana liqueur into champagne flute. Fill with champagne and stir lightly. Add a slice of banana.
Shake well with ice and pour into highball glass. Float grenadine on top and garnish with an orange, lemon, or lime slice.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a cherry.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes.
Shake all incredients except wine. Pour into collins glass over ice cubes and top with wine. Add a pineapple stick.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a twist of lemon peel.
Mix all ingredients except curacao with ice. Shake well. Pour into collins glass and float curacao on top. Garnish with pineapple and orange slices, and a cherry.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime slice.
Shake with ice and strain into highball glass over 2 ice cubes. Fill with club soda and stir.
Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice.
Put lime juice and twist of lime into highball glass and add rum. Fill with cola and ice cubes.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Decorate with a slice of pineapple and a cherry.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Combine all ingredients with a 1/2 cup of shaved ice in blender. Blend at low speed. Pour into champagne flute.
Combine all ingredients and shake with ice. Pour into highball glass and garnish with an orange slice.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into sour glass. Fill with club soda if desired. Decorate with 1/2 slice of lemon and a cherry.
Shake all ingredients except sherry and strain into collins glass over ice cubes. Top with sherry.
Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Add a slice of orange.
Combine ingredients with a cup of crushed in a blender at low speed. Serve in old-fashioned glass and top with a cherry.
Mix first 3 ingredients in collins glass wth ice, then fill with ginger ale. Garnish with an orange spiral and a cherry.
Shake with ice and pour over ice into hurricane or parfait glass. Garnish with a banana slice.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Pour over ice into hurricane or parfait glass, stir. Garnish with an orange wheel.
Shake well with cracked ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Add a lime slice.
Combine rum, melon liqueur, and pineapple juice with ice. Stir well. Pour into a collins glass, then float grenadine on top.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Decorate with a small slice of pineapple.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into a old-fashioned glass over ice cubes.
Pour rum and amaretto into ice-filled collins glass. Fill with cola. Garnish with a slice of lime.
Shake with ice and strain into large old-fashioned glass about 1/3 full of crushed ice. Decorate with a maraschino cherry speared to a wedge of fresh pineapple. For a hair raiser top with a dash of 151-proof rum; for a true Polynesian effect, float an orchid on each drink. Serve with straws.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass rimmed with Anisette.
Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and pour over ice into old-fashioned glass.
Shake all with ice and strain into colins glass filled with ice cubes. Fill with club soda and stir.
Pour rum into ice-filled collins glass. Fill with grapefruit juice and stir.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into collins glass over ice cubes. Fill with ginger ale and stir.
Put rum and sugar in irish coffee glass, fill with warm milk, and stir. Sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Blend at high speed with 2 cups crushed ice for a short time. Strain into a collins glass and serve with a straw.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into highball glass over 2 ice cubes. Fill with club soda and stir.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Add a black cherry soaked in rum.
Combine ingredients over ice in hurricane or parfait glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Mix first 3 ingredients in collins glass, add ice cubes, and stir until glass is frosted. Add bitters and rum. Stir and top with grenadine. Decorate with slices of lemon, orange, pineapple, and a cherry. Serve with a straw.
Pour first 5 ingredients into collins glass filled with ice. Stir until glass is frosted. Add Jamaica rum, stir, and top with Triple Sec and grenadine. Decorate with slices orange, lemon, pineapple, a cherry, and a sprig of mint dipped in powdered sugar. Serve with a straw.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake and pour into hurricane or parfait glass filled with ice.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
In goblet dissolve sugar in club soda. Fill goblet with shaved ice and add rum. Stir and decorate with fruits in season. Serve with a straw.
Shake with ice and strain into collins glass. Add several ice cubes, fill with club soda, and stir. Decorate with a slice of lemon and a cherry. Serve with a straw.
In collins glass dissolve sugar in 2 oz club soda. Stir. Fill glass with ice and add rum. Fill with club soda or ginger ale and stir. Dangle spiral of orange and/or lemon peel over rim of glass.
Shake with ice and strain into stein or metal cup. Add 1 ice cube and decorate with fruit.
Stir first 3 ingredients together in highball glass and fill glass with ice. Add rum. Stir and add a slice of lemon. Serve with a straw.
Pour rum into highball glass over ice cubes and fill with ginger ale or club soda. Add a twist of lemon peel and stir.
Serve over ice in cocktail glass with a twist of lemon.
Shake with ice and strain into collins glass. Sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Stir sugar, bitters, and water in old-fashioned glass. When sugar is dissolved add ice cubes and light rum. Add a twist of lime peel and float the 151-proof rum on top.
Pour first 3 ingredients over ice and shake well. Pour into hurricane or parfait glass and fill with lemon-lime soda. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Pour into highball glass over ice cubes and fill with club soda and ice cubes. Stir. Add a wedge of lime.
Combine ingredients in highball glass with ice cubes.
Shake with ice and strain into sour glass. Decorate with a 1/2 slice of lemon and a cherry.
Put lime juice, sugar, and 2 oz club soda into collins glass. Fill glass with ice and stir. Add bitters and rum. Fill with club soda and serve with a swizzle stick.
In old-fashioned glass dissolve sugar in water. Stir and add rum and a cube of ice. Stir again and add a twist of lemon peel.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Serve with a twist of orange peel.
In hurricane or parfait glass splash some grenadine. Add ice, then rum, gin, and melon liqueur. Fill with pineapple juice and float lime juice on top.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Stir with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Pour into collins glass over ice cubes and fill with ginger ale. Stir.
Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes. Add a slice of lemon.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Float 151-proof rum on top.
Mix ingredients in collins glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Shake with ice and strain into old-fashioned glass over ice cubes.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Combine all ingredients with ice and pour into hurricane or parfait glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.
Blend all ingredients at low speed for 1 minute with 1/2 cup crushed ice. Strain into frosted highball glass. Decorate with a stick of pineapple and one green and one red cherry. Carefully float 151-proof rum and then top with sprig of fresh mint dipped in powdered sugar. Serve with a straw.
Last modified: Wed Jun 4 1998 with help of the University of Princeton