Rum cocktails to make at home
Certain things are inextricably linked to summertime, like coconut oil, melting asphalt, sandflies and sunburn. Also: rum drinks! Perhaps because they are produced in parts of the world we associate with sunshine – Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Bahamas – they seem quintessentially fine weather drinks. Nothing makes me feel like I’m on holiday more than the smell of rum and a sea breeze.
You do not have to like pina coladas (or getting caught in the rain) to enjoy rum. Here are some classic rum cocktails that have made countless summers even better.
The Daiquiri
This venerable Cuban cocktail dates from the late 19th century and is as easy to make as it is to drink. In a shaker half-filled with ice, put:
50ml white rum
25ml lime juice
10ml sugar syrup
Shake it hard until the contents are frothy, then strain into a chilled glass. If you like your daiquiris frozen, whack the ingredients into a blender with a cup of ice and blitz.
The Hemingway Daiquiri
I’ll admit I’m not really a fan of Ernest Hemingway, but one thing that man sure got right was cocktails. The Hemingway Daiquiri is a little more fiddly, but it sure is good. Into a shaker filled with ice, add:
60ml white rum
25 ml lime juice
15ml maraschino liqueur
15ml grapefruit juice
Shake it up, pour it out and garnish with lime. If you want to go full Old Man and the Sea, double the amount of rum, and then you will have made a Papa Doble. But you might need a Hemingway-sized constitution to pull that off.
2 tsp of sugar
A large sprig of mint (about 6-10 leaves) A small amount of soda water (about
of a cup)
Muddle with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved and the mint is bruised, then add the juice of one lime (you can drop one of the squeezed halves into the glass) and 60ml of white rum. Stir well, fill the glass up with ice, and top up with more soda. Yum!
The Mai Tai
This has become a tiki staple since its invention by San Fransisco bartender Trader Vic (Victor Jules Bergeron) in 1944. It’s a bit like a fruitier daiquiri and definitely delicious. In an ice filled shaker, put:
60ml light (not white) rum
15ml Curacao
25ml lime juice
10ml Orgeat
Shake it up and pour into an old fashioned glass or tumbler filled with crushed ice. Garnish with mint, cherries, lime slices – whatever tickles your tiki fancy. Cheers!