Due to the post-colonial proliferation of sugarcane plantations, rum is one of the Caribbean’s most important exports – and one of its favourite cocktail ingredients!
I’ve given suggestions for white or dark rum in some recipes below, but you can make these classic Caribbean rum cocktails with either; quantities given serves 2. Buy Crawley’s Simple Sugar Syrup from any bottle shop or make your own by combining equal volumes of water and sugar over a low heat until sugar dissolves.
Mojito
Created in Havana, Cuba, this classic Caribbean rum cocktail may be based on a drink Francis Drake used to cure shipboard scurvy. Use a muddler or wooden spoon to combine 10 mint leaves, 1 tablespoon castor sugar, 2 nips (60ml) lime juice and 3 nips (90ml) white rum, crushing the lime leaves well. Top with ice and add a splash of soda water if you like.
Piña Colada
Piña colada (meaning simply ‘strained pineapple’ in Spanish) originated in Puerto Rico, where it’s now the national drink. White rum is typical, but I like dark too. Shake, or blend 3 nips (90ml) rum, 2 nips (60ml) coconut milk, 1 cup (250ml) pure pineapple juice, a good squeeze of lime juice and plenty of crushed ice. Serve in a large cocktail glass.
Classic Daiquiri
The only fruit in a classic Cuban daiquiri is lime. Try the classic version of this Caribbean rum cocktail and you may never go back to the fruity adult-slushie ones again. Shake 3 nips (90ml) white rum, 3 nips (90ml) lime juice and 1½ nips (45ml) sugar syrup together with ice and serve strained or with the ice.
Rum Punch
A simple rhyme reminds us how to make a perfectly balanced rum punch: mix one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak. Combine 1 nip (30ml) lime juice, 2 nips (60ml) sugar syrup, 3 nips (90ml) dark rum, 4 nips (120ml) soda or sparkling mineral water. Pour into punch cups and enjoy!
Rum Lime Shrub
Colonial sailors carried sweet/sour shrub syrups on voyages as a preserved source of Vitamin C; perhaps that’s how they became popular in the Caribbean. I love the range of shrubs from The Curious Cabinet, or you could make your own from the many online recipes. Fill 2 tall glasses with ice, add 4 nips (120ml) white rum and 1 nip (30ml) lime shrub syrup. Top with soda, stir and serve.
Updated 2 Jan 2024
