White rum adds a funky flavor to cocktails. Associated with summer, white rum cocktails are easy, breezy, and delicious. So if you think of white rum drinks requiring blenders or endless muddling, you might be interested to learn more about the easy road to a tasty rum cocktail. These are ten easygoing cocktails perfect to enjoy in the shade or a refreshing reminder of the summer.
Papa Doble
The Papa Doble, or sometimes known as the Hemingway daiquiri, is a riff on a traditional daiquiri. The grapefruit juice adds a new level of citrus bitterness, and the maraschino liqueur adds a nutty yet still distinctly cherry flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white rum
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
- ½ ounce grapefruit juice
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass, martini glass, or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, rum, juices, and maraschino liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lime wheel.
Between the Sheets
A lesser-known relative of the brandy and Cointreau drink, the sidecar, this adds a tropical rum flavor to the traditional oaky recipe but omits the classic sugar rim garnish.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce cognac
- 1 ounce light rum
- 1 ounce triple sec or Cointreau
- ¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass, martini glass, or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the cognac, rum, triple sec, syrup, and lemon juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
Boston Rum Punch
If you're familiar with a rum punch, you might expect several juices to make an appearance, but this white rum cocktail needs only two ingredients: lemonade and rum.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces rum
- Lemonade to top off
- Ice
- Pineapple leaf, maraschino cherry, and orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail glass filled with ice, add rum and top off with lemonade.
- Garnish with pineapple leaf, maraschino cherry, and orange slice.
Planter's Punch No. 2
A spin on the rum punch, this recipe steps up the fruit flavor and adds a frosted mint garnish to match the frosted glass.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces light rum
- 1 ounce orange juice
- 1 ounce lime juice
- ½ ounce pineapple juice
- ½ ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce Jamaica rum
- ¼ ounce triple sec
- 2 dashes grenadine
- Crushed ice
- Mint sprig sprinkled with confectioner sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a highball or cocktail glass two-thirds full. Add light rum and juices.
- Stir until the glass is frosted.
- Add dark rum.
- Stir to mix.
- Top with triple sec and grenadine.
- Garnish with confectioner sugar sprinkled mint sprig.
White Madras
A traditional Madras uses vodka as a base spirit, but this substitutes white rum for a more flavorful cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounce white rum
- 1½ cranberry juice
- 1 ounce orange juice
- ¼ ounce lime juice
- Ice
- Lime or lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball or cocktail glass, add ice, rum, and juices.
- Garnish with citrus wedge.
Piña Colada
The piña colada might be one of the most well-known tropical rum cocktails, and for good reason. It first showed up in the 1950s but popularity waned as bartenders began to use piña colada mix, but it's now making a strong comeback thanks to bartenders making it from scratch. Enjoy a frozen piña colada as it was first made, or drink this contemporary take, which is shaken and served on the rocks.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces light rum
- 1½ ounces cream of coconut
- 1½ ounces pineapple juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Orange slice and maraschino cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add the ice, rum, cream of coconut, and juices.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into hurricane glass over crushed ice.
- Garnish with orange slice and maraschino cherry.
Rum Daisy
The 1930s first saw the first rum daisy, a refreshingly light rum cocktail that's easy to make and only uses one spirit.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white rum
- ¾ freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce grenadine
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, rum, grenadine, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into cocktail glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
Louanalao
A tropical island drink, the louanalao uses strawberry and allspice liqueur as complementary flavors for the white rum.
Ingredients
- 1 strawberry, quartered
- 1½ ounces white rum
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce Campari
- ½ ounce cane or simple syrup
- ¼ ounce allspice dram
- Ice
- Orange wheel and maraschino cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the quartered strawberry.
- Add ice, rum, juices, Campari, simple syrup, and allspice dram.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange wheel and maraschino cherry.
Classic Daiquiri
Daiquiris are often thought of as sweet and fruity or frozen, but the original recipe has three simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces white rum
- ½ - ¾ ounce simple syrup, to taste
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Lime wheel or twist for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine ice, rum, simple syrup, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lime wheel or twist.
White Rum Smash
Smashes are usually made with bourbon, but the white rum makes for a smoother cocktail, especially with citrus to add a punch behind the rum.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1 ounce elderflower liqueur
- 3 lemon wedges
- 2 ounces tonic water
- Ice
- Lemon wheel to garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lemon wedges.
- Add ice, rum, and elderflower liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Top with the tonic water.
- Garnish with lemon wheel.
Watermelon Rum Sandia
A sandia cocktail is traditionally made with tequila, but if you're looking for a different flavor combination with a rum cocktail, this uses watermelon and Aperol for a new twist.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces white rum
- 1 ounce Aperol
- 1 ounce watermelon juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Watermelon wedge and mint leaf for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine ice, rum, Aperol, juices, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass filled with fresh ice.
- Garnish with watermelon wedge and mint leaf.
Enjoyably Simple White Rum Cocktails
When you're making white rum cocktails at home, there's no need to dig out the blender. Luckily, these cocktails are quick to make and even more refreshing to enjoy. There's no need to overly complicate rum shots and drinks when you could be enjoying them instead of cleaning them up. And whether you enjoy your rum cocktails with food or prefer to drink them alone, you can sip on the pleasing flavor of rum anytime you want a pick-me-up.
