Born to Rum: 7 National Rum Day Cocktails

In one week we celebrate a true icon: Rum. That’s right, National Rum Day will be here in 7 days (August 16), so plan accordingly. White/silver/light, gold/oro/ambre, dark/black, rhum agricole… National Rum Day is perfect for putting all styles of rum, be they unaged and aged, or the products of sugarcane, sugarcane molasses, sugarcane syrup or other sugarcane byproducts (like freshly crushed sugarcane juice in the case of rhum agricole), in the spotlight.

While most of the world’s rum is produced in the Caribbean and Latin America, there are also rum producers in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. So, if you have an impressive collection of artisanal, rare or otherwise unusual rums, make sure to put them front and center. For example, now would be the perfect time to put together and offer a few different rum flights. Think one for silver, one for gold, and one for dark rums. If you have at least three different rhum agricoles, there’s one more flight.

Celebrate rum with your guests with these 7 fantastic cocktails.

BACARDÍ 8 Old Fashioned

Courtesy of BACARDÍ

• 2 parts BACARDÍ 8 Años Rum
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 0.5 part Water
• Orange peel for garnish

In an Old-Fashioned glass, pour in the sugar, water and Angostura Bitters.  Combine everything with a bar spoon (or muddler), add the BACARDÍ 8 Años. Fill the glass 3/4 of the way with large ice cubes and stir repeatedly, around 10 stirs. Top with a little fresh ice. Cut a piece of orange peel and squeeze over the cocktail before dropping it into the drink. 

East India Negroni

• 2 parts Banks 5-Island Rum
• 1 part Campari
• 1 part Lustau East India sherry
• Orange peel for garnish

Add all the ingredients but the garnish to a mixing glass, then add ice. Stir and strain into a rocks glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with the orange peel.

Rum Mule

Courtesy of Havana Club Puerto Rican Rum

• 1 part Havana Club Añejo Clásico
• 2 parts Chilled ginger beer
• 2 Lime wedges
• 2 dashes Aromatic bitters

Fill highball glass with ice and squeeze in lime wedges. Pour in HAVANA CLUB Añejo Clásico rum and ginger beer. Complete by adding a dash of bitters and stir gently.

Gran Reserva Maestro Collins

Courtesy of BACARDÍ

• 2 parts BACARDÍ Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron
• 1 part Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Fine white sugar (caster sugar)
• Soda or sparkling water                

Pour the BACARDÍ Gran Reserva Maestro de Ron, lemon juice and caster sugar into a cocktail shaker with cubes of ice and then give it a good, hard shake. Fine strain the mixture into a serving glass and top it up with soda. Finish by garnishing it with a lemon peel.

Caribbean Pharaoh

Created for Edible DC's Cocktail Derby

• 1 oz. True Grenadine
• 1.5 oz. Lyon White Rum
• 2 oz. Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 2 oz. Club soda
• Mint to garnish

Combine all ingredients over crushed or small-cube ice in a glass. Stir to combine. Garnish with mint.

Fashion Rio

Courtesy of Chef Geronimo Lopez of Botika

• 2 oz. of Mount Gay Rum
• 1 oz. Orgeat
• 3 dashes of Angostura
• 1 Orange Peel
• 1 Grapefruit Peel

Add ice, rum, almond liqueur and bitters to a rocks glass. Stir. Garnish with orange peel and grapefruit peel.

Monkey Jerry

Courtesy of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

• 1 part Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
• 1 part orange juice
• Pilsner beer*

Shake Sailor Jerry and orange juice with ice, pour into a beer glass full of ice and top with beer.

*Sailor Jerry encourages you to experiment with different types of beers.