Classic Rum Cocktails

By: Carl Hanson

Of all the liquors, rum is arguably the most cocktail-friendly.

Call It by Color

There are light rums and dark rums, spiced rums and high-quality sipping rums. Find drink recipes for each type of rum.

The Styles of Rum

Our Top 5 Jimmy Buffet Rum-Drinkin' Songs

"Ho-ho-ho and a Bottle of Rum"
"Son of a Son of a Sailor"
"Changes in Latitudes"
"Banana Republics"
"Volcano"

More to the Story

Our Favorite Pirate Movies

"Talk like a pirate day" comes but once a year (September 19th). In the meantime, you'll need other cheap excuses to mix rum with good clean pirate fun. May we suggest a pirate-themed movie?

"Pirates of the Caribbean" (This popular franchise includes three sequels: "The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Dead Man's Chest," and "At World's End")
"The Pirates of Penzance"
"Treasure Island" (there are many remakes, including "Muppet Treasure Island")

If gin is the serious booze of serious people drinking serious cocktails like martinis, then rum is its unpretentious, laid-back kid brother, just out for a really good time. Life's a beach! So stick an umbrella in it, and let's have some fun!

Five Favorites

Pour yourself one of these rum-based cocktails and put yourself on island time.

Impossibly Fun, High-Octane Rum Drinks

These are the required cocktails of Polynesian, tiki, or island parties. But watch out! They're so easy to drink, they can sneak up on you in a hurry and pummel you with the strength of 10,000 teeny-tiny umbrellas.