Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The 9 best rums for Mojitos that you can get behind

Making a Mojito? You're going to need a nice light rum, like one of these standout selections

Bayou Silver Rum
Bayou White Rum
Jump to details
Banks 5 Island Rum
Banks 5 Island Rum
Jump to details
Mount Gay Silver Rum
Mount Gay Silver Rum
Jump to details
Flor de Caña 4
Flor de Caña 4
Jump to details
Caña Brava Rum
Caña Brava Rum
Jump to details
Bacardí Superior
Bacardí Superior
Jump to details
Plantation 3 Stars Rum
Plantation 3 Stars
Jump to details
Cruzan Aged Light Rum
Cruzan Aged Light Rum
Jump to details
Gosling’s Gold Seal Rum
Goslings Gold Rum
Jump to details

In the vast land of rum cocktails, the Mojito is an elite player. This classic cocktail, born in Cuba, is both a cinch to make and extremely rewarding to drink. Made of rum, lime, mint, sugar, and soda water, the beverage is basically the liquid definition of refreshing.

While often pegged as a summer drink, the Mojito is really accessible year-round. In fact, like a good tiki drink, the cocktail can be even more desirable during the colder months as it can deposit you somewhere sun-kissed and tropical. Yet, because the drink is so dependent on its spirit base, it can only be as good as the rum that goes into it.

Typically, you'll make a Mojito with a lighter or white rum. Most of our selections below are of that style. Yet, we also understand the power of an aged rum, even if only a few years, and how it can change the drink for the better. The darker takes can add a little more heft and complexity to the drink, ideal on a cooler evening or if you prefer those barrel-aged dark fruit and spice notes.

We've assembled a list of the most Mojito-friendly rums available. Use fresh ingredients (especially lime) while you're at it and if you're using simple syrup, be certain it hasn't turned (it expires, you know). Other than that, find a good resting place and relax as you sip on this sunny drink.

Here are the best rums for Mojitos, in no particular order.

A bottle of Bayou Silver Rum on plain background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bayou White Rum

Bayou White Rum is made from a blend of local, unrefined sugar cane and molasses by Bayou Rum Distillery of Louisiana. The tropical notes that underpin the sweet vanilla and butterscotch characteristics make it an easy-to-drink spirit, both on its own and as a component to a variety of cocktails.

Bayou Silver Rum
Bayou White Rum
A bottle of Banks 5 Island Rum on white background.
Banks

Banks 5 Island Rum

The number in the name of this rum does not come from the age. Rather, it refers to the fact that the rum is a blend of rums from five different islands (technically, it is a blend of 21 rums from six different distilleries on those five islands). The various islands all contribute different flavor components to Banks 5 Island Rum, ranging from Trinidad’s blackstrap molasses flavors to aromatics from Jamaica’s pot stills to spice from Java and more.

Banks 5 Island Rum
Banks 5 Island Rum
A bottle of Mount Gay Silver Rum on white background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mount Gay Silver Rum

The only silver rum that Mount Gay produces, this one is mellow and soft, with soft banana and sugar cane syrup flavors. It is fresh and somewhat sweet, with hints of mint and citrus toward the end of the palate and into the finish. The mint notes are heightened when used in a Mojito, bringing the drink to a whole new level.

Mount Gay Silver Rum
Mount Gay Silver Rum
A Flor de Cana 4-Year Rum bottle on white background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Flor de Caña 4

Aged for four years, Flor de Caña 4 is clear as water and light-bodied, making it perfect for light mixed drinks, even ones as simple as rum and tonic. The coconut, vanilla, and light barrel notes are enough to keep up with a bit stronger mixers as well, so grab a Flor de Caña 4 and enjoy the toasty sugar cane finish.

Flor de Caña 4
Flor de Caña 4
A bottle of Cana Brava Rum on plain background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Caña Brava Rum

A Panamanian rum made by “Don Pancho,” a master distiller with 45 years of experience in rum distillation, Caña Brava is a drier rum that has floral notes and honey on the nose, and a silky palate rich in dark chocolate, cacao butter, vanilla, and sugar cane that's finished with a long, somewhat fruity back end.

Caña Brava Rum
Caña Brava Rum
A Bacardi Superior White Rum bottle on plain background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Bacardí Superior

A standard on bar shelves across the country, a Mojito rum list wouldn’t be complete without Bacardí. The brand is almost synonymous with rum, and its cheap price tag doesn’t take away from its distinct flavor. Its vanilla, cooked sugar, and extremely light oak can balance a cocktail without getting lost, but it can also let the mixer shine as if it’s meant to take a back seat. It's quite popular in a Daiquiri as well.

Bacardí Superior
Bacardí Superior
A bottle of Plantation 3 Stars Rum on white background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Plantation 3 Stars

A blend of rums from Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad, Plantation 3 Stars Rum utilizes the different characteristics from each island (and different aged rums, ranging from un-aged Barbados rum to 10-year-old Jamaican rum) to create a balanced and nuanced white rum. You’ll get brown sugar, vanilla, and honey on the nose and dark chocolate and root beer on the palate. The finish is grassy and herbal, almost like a rhum agricole.

Plantation 3 Stars Rum
Plantation 3 Stars
A Cruzan Aged Light rum bottle shot on white background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Cruzan Aged Light Rum

Made using a blend of rums aged between one and four years, Cruzan Aged Light Rum is filtered after aging in American oak barrels to give the rum its straw color. Overall, the rum is dry with rich vanilla characteristics that lead to coconut and pineapple notes (reminiscent of a good Piña Colada). The palate is smooth with a nice, clean finish.

Cruzan Aged Light Rum
Cruzan Aged Light Rum
A bottle of Goslings Gold Seal Rum displayed on white background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Goslings Gold Rum

A golden rum from the brand known for inventing the Dark and Stormy, Gold Seal is somewhat of a departure from the other rums on the list. Gold Seal is made from a blend of pot still and continuous still rums and is aged for around five years, giving it notes of toasted oak and tropical fruits on the nose, a mellow and fruity palate, and a peppery, dry finish.

Gosling’s Gold Seal Rum
Goslings Gold Rum

Rum deserves more of your time and attention (in fact, you're probably drinking it wrong). With the above at your side, your Mojito game will rise to new heights.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Stock
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
The 10 best sweet treats for your Valentine’s Day celebration
These desserts are perfect for sharing with your Valentine
Inside Out Red Velvet Cookies

Some folks love Valentine's Day, spending the day with your special someone, fully embracing the hearts and flowers of it all. Others take great pride in declaring it a commercial greeting card holiday, and rebelling against the societal pressures set upon them. But no matter how you look at the day, it has one benefit for all: it's an excuse to make really good desserts. These 10 Valentine's Day dessert recipes range from entry-level to expert offering sugary bliss to cooks and bakers of any level. They also vary in prep and cook time, so no matter how busy you are you'll be able to whip one of these up no problem.

These Valentine's Day desserts would be great after a delicious Valentine's Day dinner or while watching a Valentine's Day movie.
Related Guides

Read more
New Year’s Eve deserves these pours, some of the best drinks of the year
Need a fine drink for NYE? Look for something from this esteemed list
Grasshopper 2.0 cocktail.

Another year is coming to a close and that's cause for celebration. In a lot of ways, 2022 was a step in the right direction, as we re-embraced a lot of those things we perhaps took for granted pre-pandemic. Regardless, we've made another trip around the sun and our glasses should both be full and raised.

Maybe you're toasting a great year, perhaps just good company. Or, you're getting the last little bit of thirst out of your system before a Dry January. Whatever you're celebrating, you won't be alone. And if we're all saluting 2022, let's do so in style with drinks that match the magnitude of the occasion.

Read more
9 Best Gins for a Refreshing Gin and Tonic
Grab One of These for Your Next Gin and Tonic
Gin and tonic lime lemon rosemary

The gin and tonic is always in season, even in the depths of winter, but there's something perfect about a great G&T during the height of summer when the temperature and humidity is approaching that of the sun. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more refreshing seasonal cocktail for the warm weather months than that of the combination of gin, tonic water, and a wedge of lime.

Quinine, the main flavoring and base of tonic water, turned out to taste pretty bitter and nasty, so people turned to gin to help get their daily dose of the malaria-fighting compound. Combined with a little lime juice, a warm weather classic was born. These days, the G&T can be simple or extravagant, so to help you find your best version, we've put together a list of our favorite gins for a G&T. Here are the best gins.

Read more