How to drink rum
There’s no one way to drink rum. That’s why we’re here to take you through all the tasty options you have to enjoy one of the world’s finest spirits.
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Rum is such a complex spirit category. There's aged and unaged rum There's dark, gold, spiced, and white. Even rum liqueurs and spirit drinks based on rum. All the different types of rum available might some feel slightly overwhelmed (our guide on Types of Rum should help). But no singular style also means there’s no one right way to drink rum.
Every bottle can be appreciated in a multitude of different ways and the ‘best’ approach is really down to you and your taste. The occasion, the weather, the company you’re with, where you are, and what other drinks and food you have at your disposal all play a role in how you can enjoy your rum. Whether that’s drinking rum neat, with water, with ice, with food, with mixers, in classic cocktails and serves. Let’s go through the various options to help you understand what you’ll like best.
Drinking rum neat
Rum that's delicious neat
Rum can be enjoyed neat, but it's absolutely fine to add water or ice.
Should you add water to rum?
Rum and ice
Rum is fun. You can mix it and make great cocktails, like the Piña Colada!
Rum cocktails and mixers
Cocktails with rum
There’s a basic rule that lighter rums suit cocktails like Daiquiris and more full-bodied rums shine in Mai Tais, but once again there’s just so much sheer variety and nuance in the wide world of rum that the best way to find your favourite is to explore. Go to rum bars, make your own recipes at home, and embrace the magic of mixology.
Some traditional rum cocktails you’ll surely recognise, like the refreshing Mojito, a Cuban cocktail made with white rum, fresh mint leaves, lime juice, simple syrup, and soda water. Then there’s the fresh Daiquiri, which is just rum, lime, and sugar shaken with ice and strained into a glass, as well as the frozen slushy-style varieties like the Strawberry Daiquiri.
The aforementioned tropical favourite that is the Piña Colada is made with white rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, blended with ice. Then there are Tiki stalwarts such as the Mai Tai and the Zombie. The first is whipped up using light rum, dark rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and orange liqueur. The second spooky sounding serve is made with various rums, fruit juices, and flavoured syrups.
The Rum Punch is one of the earliest rum creations, a fruity cocktail made with various types of rum and fruit juices (like orange, pineapple, and lime), as well as grenadine, and sometimes soda water. Two drinks that are both cocktails but also essentially mixed rinks are the Dark 'n' Stormy and the Cuba Libre. The former is made with dark rum (it has to be Goslings to legally be called a D ‘n’ S) and ginger beer, while the latter combines rum and cola with a squeeze of lime.
You can also try using rum in place of other spirits in classic cocktails, like replacing the whisky in an Old Fashioned. We have a whole selection of traditional rum cocktails right here for you to enjoy as part of our comprehensive rum guides.
Rum to mix
Rum and raisin, a delicious combination
Pairing rum with food
More rum guides
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