✔ Updated · 32 rum drinks with per-drink measurements, grouped by style, plus a mocktail
These 32 classic rum cocktails cover every mood, from bright, sour daiquiris and mojitos to creamy tiki drinks, spirit-forward sippers and warm winter mugs.
The most popular rum drinks are the daiquiri (white rum, lime and simple syrup), the mojito (white rum, mint, lime, sugar and soda), the piña colada (rum, cream of coconut and pineapple), the Cuba libre (rum, cola and lime), the mai tai and rum punch. Use white rum for light, citrusy drinks and dark or aged rum for tiki and spirit-forward drinks.
Every card gives the measurements for one drink, so you can make a single cocktail or multiply it for a crowd. All of these drinks contain alcohol and are for adults of legal drinking age only (21 and over in the US). There is also a guide to which rum to use, how strong each drink is and an alcohol-free mojito for anyone not drinking.
Classic and Refreshing Rum Cocktails
These are the short, bright, citrusy rum drinks that most bartenders learn first. White (light) rum is the usual choice, and most need only three or four ingredients. A classic daiquiri is my favorite. Measurements are per drink; 1 oz is 2 tablespoons.
1. Daiquiri
2 oz white rum, 1 oz fresh lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup. Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. The classic three-ingredient rum sour.
2. Mojito
2 oz white rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup, 8 to 10 mint leaves, 2 oz club soda. Gently muddle the mint with the syrup, add rum, lime and crushed ice, top with soda.
3. Cuba Libre
2 oz white or gold rum, 4 oz cola, 1/2 oz lime juice. Build over ice in a highball glass and stir once. A rum and coke made brighter with fresh lime.
4. Dark and Stormy
2 oz dark rum, 4 oz ginger beer, 1/2 oz lime juice. Fill a highball with ice, add ginger beer and lime, then float the dark rum on top.
5. Old Cuban
1 1/2 oz aged rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1 oz simple syrup, 6 mint leaves, 2 dashes aromatic bitters. Shake, strain into a coupe and top with 2 oz chilled sparkling wine.
6. Beachcomber
2 oz white rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz orange liqueur, 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. A daiquiri with an orange-cherry twist.
7. Hemingway Daiquiri
2 oz white rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz grapefruit juice, 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Tart, dry and unsweetened.
8. El Presidente
1 1/2 oz white or lightly aged rum, 3/4 oz blanc vermouth, 1/4 oz orange curaçao, 1 teaspoon grenadine. Stir with ice, strain into a coupe and add an orange twist.
9. Mary Pickford
1 1/2 oz white rum, 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice, 1 teaspoon grenadine, 1 teaspoon maraschino liqueur. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. A pink Cuban classic.
10. Rum Sour
2 oz aged rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup, optional 1/2 oz pasteurized egg white. Shake without ice, then with ice; strain over fresh ice.
11. Ti' Punch
2 oz rhum agricole blanc, 1 teaspoon cane syrup, a coin-size slice of lime squeezed in. Stir in a rocks glass, with or without one ice cube. Strong and simple.
Tropical and Tiki Rum Drinks
Fruity, layered and often made with more than one rum, these are the drinks most people picture when they think of rum. Fresh juice makes a big difference, and I always squeeze my own. Several of these contain two rums or a liqueur, so they are stronger than they taste.
12. Piña Colada
2 oz white rum, 1 1/2 oz cream of coconut, 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice, 1/2 oz lime juice. Blend with 1 cup ice until smooth, or shake and pour over crushed ice.
13. Mai Tai
1 oz aged Jamaican rum, 1 oz aged rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz orange curaçao, 1/2 oz orgeat, 1/4 oz simple syrup. Shake, pour over crushed ice, garnish with mint.
Get the recipe →14. Painkiller
2 oz dark rum, 4 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1 oz cream of coconut. Shake with ice, pour into a tall glass over ice and grate fresh nutmeg on top.
15. Hurricane
1 oz light rum, 1 oz dark rum, 1 oz passion fruit juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 1/4 oz grenadine. Shake and serve over ice.
16. Jungle Bird
1 1/2 oz dark rum, 3/4 oz bitter red aperitif such as Campari, 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz demerara syrup. Shake and strain over ice.
17. Rum Punch
Per drink: 1 1/2 oz rum (light and dark mixed), 1 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz grenadine. Shake or stir with ice; multiply for a pitcher.
18. Rum Runner
1 oz light rum, 1 oz dark rum, 1/2 oz banana liqueur, 1/2 oz blackberry liqueur, 1 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1/4 oz grenadine. Shake and serve over ice.
19. Bahama Mama
1 oz dark rum, 1/2 oz coconut rum, 1/2 oz coffee liqueur, 2 oz pineapple juice, 1/2 oz lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a glass of fresh ice.
20. Rum Swizzle
2 oz dark rum, 1 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz orange juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz falernum or simple syrup, 2 dashes bitters. Swizzle with crushed ice until frosty.
21. Zombie
1 1/2 oz gold rum, 1 1/2 oz dark Jamaican rum, 1 oz overproof demerara rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz falernum, 1/2 oz grapefruit juice, 1/4 oz cinnamon syrup, 1 teaspoon grenadine. Shake, serve over crushed ice. Over 3 standard drinks; limit one.
22. Planter's Punch
2 oz dark Jamaican rum, 1 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup, 1/4 oz grenadine, 2 dashes aromatic bitters. Shake, pour over ice and top with 1 oz club soda.
1 oz each white, dark Jamaican and demerara rum, 3/4 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz grapefruit juice, 1 oz honey syrup. Shake, strain over crushed ice and top with 1 oz club soda.
24. Queen's Park Swizzle
2 oz demerara rum, 1 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz demerara syrup, 8 mint leaves. Swizzle with crushed ice until frosty, then dash 4 dashes of aromatic bitters on top.
25. Scorpion
1 1/2 oz white rum, 1/2 oz brandy, 2 oz orange juice, 1 oz lemon juice, 1/2 oz orgeat. Shake with crushed ice and pour everything into a tall glass.
Get the recipe →Rich, Creamy and Warm Rum Drinks
Aged and dark rums shine in slow sippers, dessert-style drinks and hot mugs for cold nights. I save mine for winter. Drinks made with raw egg should use pasteurized eggs, and homemade eggnog should be cooked to 160°F before the rum goes in.
26. Rum Old Fashioned
2 oz aged rum, 1/4 oz demerara syrup, 2 dashes aromatic bitters, 1 dash orange bitters. Stir with ice, strain over a large cube and garnish with an orange peel.
27. Bee's Kiss
1 1/2 oz white rum, 3/4 oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water), 3/4 oz heavy cream. Shake hard with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
28. Bushwacker
1 oz dark rum, 1 oz coffee liqueur, 1 oz dark crème de cacao, 2 oz cream of coconut, 2 oz whole milk. Blend with 1 cup ice until thick and smooth.
29. Hot Buttered Rum
2 oz aged or dark rum, 1 heaping tablespoon spiced butter batter (butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla), 4 to 5 oz hot water. Stir until melted.
30. Rum Flip
1 1/2 oz dark rum, 1 whole pasteurized egg, 1/2 oz simple syrup, 1/2 oz heavy cream. Shake without ice, then with ice; strain and top with grated nutmeg.
31. Rum Eggnog
1 1/2 oz aged or spiced rum stirred into 4 oz chilled eggnog (store-bought, or homemade cooked to 160°F). Serve in a punch cup topped with grated nutmeg.
32. Coquito
Per drink: 1 1/2 oz white or spiced rum stirred into 3 oz chilled coquito base (cream of coconut, coconut milk, evaporated and condensed milk, cinnamon). Puerto Rico's holiday drink.
Which Rum to Use
You don't need a huge bar. Two bottles, one white and one aged or dark, cover almost every drink on this list.
| Rum type | Flavor | Best in |
|---|---|---|
| White (light) rum | Clean, light, slightly sweet | Daiquiri, Hemingway daiquiri, mojito, piña colada, Cuba libre, Mary Pickford |
| Gold or aged rum | Vanilla, caramel, oak | Mai tai, Old Cuban, rum old fashioned, hot buttered rum |
| Dark rum | Rich molasses, toffee | Dark and stormy, painkiller, jungle bird, Planter's punch, Queen's Park swizzle |
| Spiced rum | Vanilla, cinnamon, clove | Rum eggnog, rum and cola, rum punch |
| Coconut rum | Sweet coconut, lower proof | Bahama mama, fruity punches |
| Rhum agricole | Grassy, fresh sugarcane | Ti' punch |
How Strong Are Rum Cocktails?
All 32 drinks contain alcohol. Most standard rums are 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume), so 2 oz of rum contains about 0.8 oz of pure alcohol, or roughly 1.3 US standard drinks, before any liqueur is added. Tiki drinks with two rums plus a liqueur can be closer to 2 standard drinks, even when they taste sweet and mild.
These recipes are for adults of legal drinking age only (21 and over in the US). Measure with a jigger instead of free-pouring, serve water alongside, and never drink and drive.
Alcohol-Free Option: Virgin Mojito
For guests who aren't drinking, a virgin mojito has all the fresh mint and lime with no alcohol. Per drink: gently muddle 8 to 10 mint leaves with 3/4 oz simple syrup and 1 oz fresh lime juice in a tall glass, fill with crushed ice and top with 4 oz club soda. Stir and garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel. For more alcohol-free tropical drinks, try our virgin mai tai and virgin strawberry daiquiri.
Tips for Better Rum Cocktails
- Squeeze citrus fresh. Bottled lime juice tastes flat. One lime gives about 1 oz of juice.
- Make simple syrup: stir equal parts sugar and hot water until dissolved. It keeps in the fridge for about 1 month. Use demerara or brown sugar for a richer syrup.
- Shake drinks with juice; stir spirit-only drinks. Shake daiquiris and tiki drinks hard for 10 to 15 seconds; stir a rum old fashioned so it stays clear and silky.
- Batch for a party: multiply the per-drink measurements, mix everything except soda or sparkling wine, chill, and top each glass just before serving.
More Cocktail Ideas
Want something different? Browse our easy gin cocktails, tequila cocktails, pineapple orange coconut rum cocktail and espresso martini.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular rum drink?
The mojito, daiquiri, piña colada and rum and coke (Cuba libre) are the most popular rum drinks. The mojito and daiquiri are bright and citrusy, the piña colada is creamy and tropical, and the Cuba libre is the easiest, needing only rum, cola and fresh lime.
What mixes well with rum?
Rum mixes well with lime juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, cola, ginger beer, club soda, mint and warm spices. White rum suits citrus and soda, while dark and aged rums pair best with ginger beer, cola, coffee and pineapple.
What is a good rum drink for beginners?
A Cuba libre or a rum punch is a good start because both are easy to make and not overly strong when measured. Use 1 1/2 to 2 oz of rum per drink, fill the glass with ice and mixer, and add fresh lime to balance the sweetness.
Should I use light or dark rum in cocktails?
Use light (white) rum for crisp, citrusy drinks like the daiquiri, mojito and piña colada. Use dark or aged rum for richer drinks such as the dark and stormy, painkiller, rum old fashioned and hot buttered rum. Many tiki drinks use both.
How much rum goes in one cocktail?
Most rum cocktails use 1 1/2 to 2 oz of rum per drink, which at 80 proof is about 1 to 1.3 US standard drinks. Tiki drinks with two rums or added liqueurs are stronger, so measure carefully. These drinks are for adults of legal drinking age only.
