Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

9 Essential Rum Cocktails You Have to Try this 2022

Sam Slaughter
By

Now is the perfect time to unwind and celebrate small victories, especially during these trying times. What better way to savor the dog days than with a refreshing rum cocktail? We’ve put together some of the most essential rum cocktails out there to make your day a little brighter (or hazier, whichever).

With so many rum drinks and rum types out there, we decided to narrow down the list. Below, you’ll find the rum cocktails you need to know how to make. From your standard daiquiri to hot buttered rum, we’ve got you covered. We’ve even found some of the best cheap rums if you’re drinking on a budget.

Recommended Videos

More Cocktail Recipes:

Daiquiri

how-to-make-a-daiquiri-cocktail-lime-crop

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz white rum
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • .5 oz simple syrup
  • Lime wheel, for garnish

Method: Shake ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Check out our full how to make a daiquiri guide.

The Papa Doble

Recipe found in To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion by Philip Greene Jamie Grill / Getty

Ingredients:

  • 3.75 oz white rum
  • 2 oz lime juice
  • 2 oz grapefruit juice
  • 6 drops maraschino liqueur

Method: Blend well with ice and pour in a large glass.

Mai Tai

South China Morning Post / Getty Images

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz white rum
  • .75 oz dark rum
  • .5 oz lime juice,
  • .5 oz orange curaçao
  • .5 oz orgeat
  • Mint leaf, for garnish

Method: Shake all ingredients (except dark rum) with ice and strain into an ice-filled glass. Float dark rum on top and garnish with a mint leaf.

Check out our full list Tiki Cocktails.

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz dark rum
  • 5 oz hot water
  • 1 pat no-salt butter, softened
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • .5 tsp cinnamon
  • .5 tsp vanilla extract
  • .25 tsp nutmeg
  • .25 tsp allspice

Method: Put butter and spices in the bottom of an Irish coffee mug and muddle together. Add rum, vanilla, and hot water. Stir to combine.

Check out our Hot Buttered Recipe to get you through any cold.

Mojito

mojito mint lime cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz white rum
  • 6-8 mint leaves (and an additional sprig for garnish)
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • 2 tsp powdered sugar
  • Club soda, to top

Method: Muddle mint, sugar, and lime juice in the bottom of a tall glass. Add ice and rum. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves.

Check out our list of the best rums for mojitos.

Piña Colada

pina colada cocktail pineapple

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz white rum
  • 3 oz pineapple juice
  • 1 oz coconut cream
  • Pineapple wedge, for garnish

Method: Shake ingredients together and strain into a glass with ice. Garnish with a pineapple wedge. To make it a blended drink, add ingredients and ice to a blender. Blend and pour into a goblet.

Check out our list of the best rums for Piña Coladas.

Rum and Ginger Beer

rum-cocktail-lime

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz dark rum
  • 3.25 oz ginger beer
  • Angostura bitters
  • Lime wedge, for garnish

Method: In a highball glass filled with ice, add rum and ginger beer. Add a few dashes of bitters and garnish with lime wedge.

Rum Runner

tropical cocktail rum runner beach
Skynesher/Getty Images

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz light rum
  • 1 oz dark rum
  • .5 oz banana liqueur
  • .5 oz blackberry brandy
  • 1 oz orange juice
  • .5 oz pineapple juice
  • .5 oz lime juice
  • Dash of grenadine
  • Pineapple leaf, for garnish
  • Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Method: Combine all ingredients with ice and shake well. Strain into a glass with ice. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and pineapple leaf.

Cuba Libre

cigar drink cocktail cuba librew dark and stormy
Elizabeth Fernandez/Getty Images

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz white rum
  • 4 oz cola
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • Lime wedge, for garnish

Method: Add rum, cola, and lime juice to a tall glass with ice. Stir lightly and garnish with a lime wedge.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Should You Try These TikTok Soda Hacks?
Empty Coca-Cola case, Mahamaya Lake.

Balsamic vinegar Coke? Copycat Dr. Pepper? Charlatans for sure, but are these worth giving a shot to help your long-term health?

Sugar crashes and dehydration are just two daily consequences of consistent soda consumption. Drink enough of the sugary stuff long term, and you’ve got to worry about decreased cardiovascular health, obesity, and diabetes (just to name a few possible effects). In fact, an American Diabetes Association study reported that consuming one or more sodas per day increased Type 2 diabetes risk by 67%.

Read more
We Found Some of the Best Rums for a Daiquiri
Daiquiri_2

Classic cocktails are classic for a reason. They’re perfect, plain, and simple. The Old Fashioned. The Manhattan. The Martini. The Daiquiri. These days, people tend to associate the daiquiri with the fruity, absurdly sugary neon-colored drinks of the 90s. In reality, the real-deal traditional daiquiri is just three ingredients: rum, lime juice, and sugar. As simple as it may seem, the daiquiri is greater than the sum of its parts but requires a little thought to balance the flavor of the rum, the acidity of the lime juice, and the sweetness of the sugar syrup into something ethereal.

A properly made daiquiri can turn a bad day into a good one and can transport you from a rainy day to a sunny beach. Among those in the cocktail world, the daiquiri is the king of the classic sours. Born in Cuba at the beginning of the 20th century, the credit goes to an American mining engineer named Jennings Cox, who worked in Santiago de Cuba and liked to entertain his friends with pitchers of rum sour. Eventually, local bartenders took the reins and crafted what we know today.
Classic Daiquiri Recipe

Read more
The Piña Colada Should Be Your Summer Cocktail
Pina Colada stand in Puerto Rico

If there is one cocktail that has the innate ability to pluck you from the stress of everyday life and drop you onto a tropical island, it would be the Piña Colada. Close your eyes, take a sip, and instantly see yourself walking down a beautiful white sand beach in Puerto Rico wearing short shorts and an unbuttoned white linen shirt living your best Ricky Martin fantasy. Just the mere mention of the drink can conjure thoughts of tiny umbrellas and even tinier bathing suits.

According to legend, the drink was born in 1952 at the Caribe Hilton in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico by head bartender Ramon Marrero Perez. Mr. Perez blended up a winner for decades for sun-bathers and vacation-goers alike. Eventually the drink made its way outside of Puerto Rico and things started to go downhill. Unfortunately, the '70s happened and people were sold sugary abominations that strayed far from the original cocktail. A product of the blender boom, this classic cocktail was relegated to poolside bars and booze cruises. The Piña Colada became the stereotypical drink of choice for tourists visiting anything even remotely resembling an island or coastal destination. The Margaritaville resident proudly sporting cargo shorts & a fanny-pack eschewing local eateries for the travel agent-approved TGI McFunsters.

Read more