Rum: Time Flies When You’re Having Rum

Rum—a delicious addition to many a cocktail—is made from distilling sugar-cane juices and molasses. And though all rum starts out the same, white rum is aged in plain oak barrels or stainless-steel tanks to remain clear, and darker rums are aged in charred oak barrels. Not sure you’re a fan? Step outside the rum ’n coke standard, and give these -summer mixers a try.

Rum Daisy, Havana Style

The Daisy started off as a 19th-century fizzy cocktail, but a bar in Havana put this delicious spin on it.

2 oz white rum

½ oz Yellow Chartreuse

1 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ oz honey

1 dash Agnostura bitters

1 mint sprig, spiral cut lemon twist, a cherry

To a tumbler filled with ice, add the rum, Yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice, honey and bitters. Stir well, and garnish with mint, lemon and a cherry.

Flamingo Cocktail

Jim Meehan from PDT Bar in NYC developed this cocktail as an alternative to the classic rum ’n coke.

2 oz white rum

¾ oz freshly squeezed lime juice

¾ oz grapefruit juice

3 oz pink grapefruit soda

1 lime slice

To a shaker filled with ice, add the rum, lime juice and grapefruit juice. Secure the lid, and shake until chilled. Strain into an ice-filled tumbler, top with grapefruit soda and garnish with a slice of lime.

 

Hurricane

This is a popular New Orleans rum drink without all the rain and wind.

¾ oz spiced rum

¾ oz white rum

2 oz mango juice

1 oz orange juice

Juice of half a lime

1 tbsp simple syrup

1 tbsp grenadine

Orange slice and a cherry

To a cocktail shaker, add the spiced rum, white rum, mango juice, orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup and grenadine. Secure the lid, and shake well. Strain into a chilled hi-ball glass filled with ice, and garish with a slice of orange and a cherry.

 

Hibiscus Rum Punch

If you like a little punch with your rum, give this sipper a try. The brilliant-red colour comes from hibiscus flowers.

6 cups water

½ cup dried hibiscus flowers

1 cup honey

1 cup white rum

1 cup demerara rum

½ cup each freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice

½ tsp Angostura bitters

Lime slices

Add 6 cups of water to a medium-sized pot, and bring to a boil. Next, remove the pot from the heat, add the hibiscus and let steep 10 minutes. Strain into a large heatproof pitcher, stir in the honey and chill. When cold, stir in the rum, juices and bitters. Serve in hi-ball glasses filled with ice, and garnish with lime slices. Punch keeps up to 4 days in the fridge.

 

Between the Sheets

This classic cocktail also goes by the name Maiden’s Prayer.

¾ oz brandy

¾ oz dark rum

¾ oz triple sec

½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

Orange twist

To a cocktail shaker with ice, add the brandy, rum, triple sec and lemon juice. Secure the lid, and shake until chilled. Strain into a chilled tumbler, and garnish with a twist of orange.

Zombie Punch

This cocktail is delicious but also aptly named. Drink responsibly, and enjoy.

1½ oz white rum

1½ oz spiced rum

1 oz 151-proof dark rum

6 drops anise-flavoured liqueur

Dash of Angostura bitters

2 tsp grapefruit juice

¾ oz freshly squeezed lime juice

½ oz citrus-spiced sugar syrup

½ tsp cinnamon syrup

1 tsp grenadine

Mint sprigs and lime slices

To a blender, add the rums, liqueur, bitters, grapefruit juice, lime juice, citrus syrup, cinnamon syrup and grenadine. Secure the lid, and mix for 5 seconds. Pour into hi-ball glasses filled with ice, and garnish with mint and lime.

 

Did You Know?

During the 17th century, the
British Royal Navy staved off scurvy without really knowing it. When sailors’ rum rations were watered down, sugar and lime juice were added, with the lime providing the all-important vitamin C—the best preventative of scurvy.

 

Fun Facts

Rum got its name from an old southern English slang Rumbuillion, which means a brawl or violent commotion. This, of course, is a nod to the effects of its overindulgence.