Guide to Easy Rum Mixed Drinks

Mixing up rum-based cocktails at home doesn't have to be complicated. There are a lot of mixers that go well with both light and dark rums, making it possible to have a great drink with as little as two or three ingredients!

Types of rum cocktails

There are several different categories of rum cocktails to choose from. You can opt for simple highballs, three-ingredient, sweet and sour drinks like the Daiquiri, or more complex tropical or tiki drinks like the classic Mai Tai.

Rum also makes an excellent choice in place of the standard liquor in many classic cocktail recipes! Think Rum Manhattan, Rum Old Fashioned, or Rum Negroni.

All of these drinks have only a few ingredients but pack plenty of flavor and complexity. Let's dive into the drink categories:

Simple highballs

These are your most basic mixed drinks and always a crowd-pleaser. Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in a couple ounces of rum, then top with your mixer of choice. This type of drink usually benefits from a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. Think Rum & Coke (Cuba Libre) or the Dark 'n Stormy.

Easy sours

A pared-down sour-style cocktail is made with three simple ingredients: the spirit (white or dark rum), citrus juice (lemon or lime), and a sweetener, like simple syrup.

You can make really fun variations here just by making or buying flavored syrups. An easy way to mix it up is to use honey syrup in place of regular simple syrup, but you could also get fancy and use coconut syrup or passion fruit syrup, or any number of other flavored syrups! More on that in the next section. Want something different? Try my Pineapple Ginger Espresso Sour!

Basic Sour Recipe Template:

• 2 oz rum
• 1 oz lemon or lime juice
• 1 oz simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it three quarters with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a cocktail glass or a lowball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon or lime wheel.

Classic cocktails

Many classic cocktails are fairly simple, they just require you to have some more specific ingredients on hand. This includes ingredients like sweet or dry vermouth or various liqueurs, such as Campari or Aperol. An example of a simple rum classic is the El Presidente.

More modern riffs on classics include the Rum Negroni or Rum Manhattan. Love a Cosmopolitan? Make it with white rum for a more flavorful and interesting variation!

Palmetto (Rum Manhattan)

• 2 oz aged rum
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 2 dashes orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and fill it three quarters with ice. Stir until chilled, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass (or serve over a large ice cube in a lowball glass). Garnish with an expressed orange peel.

Simple tiki drinks

The world of tropical rum drinks can be overwhelming, even for a seasoned home bartender. But not all tiki drinks require long ingredient lists or hyper-specific bottles of rum.

The Shark's Tooth, Hurricane, Mary Pickford, Corn 'n Oil, and Pina Colada are great examples of simple tiki-style drinks. The classic Mai Tai is not that much more involved than these, and it's well worth the extra effort! If you have blackstrap rum and Campari, try the delicious Jungle Bird.

Basic Mai Tai

• 2 oz aged rum
• 1 oz lime juice
• ½ oz orange curaçao*
• ¼ oz orgeat*
• ¼ oz simple syrup

About Orange Curaçao: I use Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao for my Mai Tais. If you don’t have orange curaçao, you can substitute any good quality triple sec (clear orange liqueur). You could also substitute with curaçao-like orange liqueurs such as Grand Marnier or Gran Gala.

About Orgeat: Orgeat is an almond syrup flavored with a hint of rosewater or orange blossom water. You can find it in the liquor store or on Amazon from brands like Liber & Co. If you’d like to make your own, you can use my Easy Orgeat Recipe that uses almond milk.

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it three quarters with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a lowball glass filled with pebble or crushed ice. Garnish with a generous bouquet of mint.

The best mixers for easy rum drinks

Now that we've covered some different types of drinks you can make, it's time to check out the huge range of mixers that go great with rum. We'll start with the mixers used in the simplest drinks, then move up in complexity from there.

Cola

Cola is a classic mixer for rum, known for its combination of sweetness and a hint of spice. It's the key ingredient in the famous Rum and Coke (or Cuba Libre) cocktail.

Cuba Libre (Rum & Coke): Fill a highball glass with ice, add 2 ounces of rum, then fill the glass with cola. Squeeze a lime wedge over the drink and drop it in the glass. For a slight variation, try it with a squeeze of lemon or a flavored cola. I prefer Fever-Tree's Distiller's Cola for the best possible flavor and carbonation.

Ginger beer or ginger ale

Ginger beer pairs exceptionally well with rum, creating refreshing and slightly spicy cocktails. It's a crucial component in popular drinks like the Dark 'n' Stormy. Like cachaca? Try my Brazilian Buck.

Dark 'n' Stormy: Fill a highball glass with ice, add 2 ounces of rum, then fill the glass with ginger beer. Squeeze a lime wedge over the drink and drop it in the glass.

Soda water or club soda

Sparkling water and white rum are a perfect pair. The naturally mild flavor and sweetness of the rum is highlighted by a quality, clean-tasting club soda. It's also a great way to add flavor without sugar or calories.

Try fun flavors like La Croix Coconut or Beach Plum. Just like a Rum & Coke or Dark 'n Stormy, squeezing a wedge of lime or lemon over the drink will help balance and enhance the flavors of the drink.

Rum Soda: Fill a highball glass with ice, add 2 ounces of rum, then fill the glass with sparkling water. Squeeze a lemon or lime wedge over the drink and drop it in the glass.

Tonic water

Tonic water's bitterness contrasts with the mild sweetness of rum and create a balanced and complex cocktail. Try using it in a Rum & Tonic (again, with a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon!)

Rum & Tonic: Fill a highball glass with ice, add 2 ounces of white or aged rum, then fill the glass with tonic water. Squeeze a lemon or lime wedge over the drink and drop it in the glass.

Citrus juices

Lime juice, lemon juice, and grapefruit juice are commonly used with rum. They add brightness, acidity, and a refreshing element to cocktails. They work well in classics like the Mojito or Daiquiri.

Simple Rum Sour: Combine 2 ounces of white rum with 1 oz of lime or lemon juice and 1 oz of simple syrup or honey syrup. Shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker (or even a mason jar!) with plenty of ice. Strain the liquid from the ice and into a cocktail glass or a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a slice of citrus and enjoy.

Make it a Mojito! The Mojito is basically a rum sour made with mint and lengthened with club soda.

Mojito

• 2 oz white rum
• ¾ oz lime juice
• ¾ oz simple syrup
• 6-8 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• 4-6 oz Club soda

In a highball glass, gently muddle the mint leaves with the simple syrup. Add the rum and lime juice and fill the glass with ice. Stir to chill, then top with chilled club soda. Garnish with a generous bouquet of mint.

Fruit juices

Various fruit juices, such as orange, passion fruit, or cranberry, can be excellent mixers for rum. They add sweetness, tanginess, and depth to tropical-inspired cocktails. It's just important to create balance by combining both sweet and sour flavors - otherwise, you'll end with a drink that's just too sugary. Drinks using mixers like this include the Sea Breeze or the Salty Dog. Just swap out the vodka in those drinks for white rum!

The tropical flavors of coconut cream and pineapple juice can beautifully complement the sweetness and fruitiness of rum. It's commonly used in cocktails like the Piña Colada or the Painkiller.

Rum Sea Breeze: Combine 2 ounces of white or dark rum with 2 ounces of cranberry juice and 1 ounce of grapefruit juice in a glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a slice of grapefruit or lime.

Cocktail syrups

DIY simple syrups made with fruits or spices (or both!) are the perfect foil for the nuanced flavor of varying rums. This type of ingredient is commonly used in classic tropical tiki drink recipes like the Mai Tai or Hurricane.

Hurricane

• 4 oz aged rum
• 2 oz passion fruit syrup
• 2 oz lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill it three quarters with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a hurricane glass filled with pebble or crushed ice.

Don't be intimidated by making your own syrups - it's so easy! Many syrups don't even require heating, simply mix everything together and you're done. Some of my favorite cocktail syrups to use with rum include:

• Spiced simple syrup
• Passion fruit simple syrup
• Vanilla simple syrup
• Honey syrup
• Raspberry simple syrup
• Dragonfruit simple syrup

TRY IT: Check out my Coconut Daiquiri, Original Hurricane, or Classic Mai Tai Recipe!