Liquor.com / Tim Nusog
Summer is a time for taking it easy, an attitude that should extend to what’s in your glass. And rum might just be the unofficial spirit of the season. But you don’t have to limit yourself to poolside Rum & Cokes. These simple rum drinks, including tropical favorites like Daiquiris and Mojitos, are low on effort and big on flavor.
Daiquiri
Liquor.com / Tim Nusog
This classic drink was likely invented in the town of Daiquiri, Cuba, in 1898, by an American engineer, but it really took off stateside when a U.S. Navy officer brought the recipe to Washington, D.C. It’s no wonder it has endured for well over a century: The three-ingredient mix of rum, lime, and simple syrup is, to many, a perfect drink.
Mojito
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Sure, Cuba’s favorite cocktail requires slightly more effort than merely throwing a few ingredients together. But muddling fresh mint, sugar, and lime juice in the glass before adding rum and topping the mix with club soda yields some magical results that have made this drink a mainstay of beach bars around the world.
Dark ’n Stormy
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Lime juice, dark rum, and ginger beer render a refreshing drink that couldn’t be easier to make: Just add them all right into your glass over ice, no shaking or stirring required. It’s exactly what you want to be sipping on a summer day.
Piña Colada
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Modern-day Piña Coladas often go for a whirl in the blender, but the classic shaken version is by far the better version. Likely invented by Ramón Manchito Marrero at San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Caribe Hilton hotel in 1954, the delectable creamy drink combines rum, cream of coconut, and pineapple and lime juices.
Continue to 5 of 11 belowStrawberry Daiquiri
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Break out your blender for this fruity combination of rum, simple syrup, lime juice, fresh strawberries, and ice. It might not be the most authentic version of the drink, but it’s undeniably delicious.
Rum Punch
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Fruity, boozy, and endlessly riffable, this Rum Punch is perfect for your summer parties: The combination of light and dark rums, fruit juices, and grenadine can easily be scaled up or down.
Bermuda Rum Swizzle
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This crowd-pleasing tropical drink combines rum, orange and pineapple juices, grenadine, and Angostura bitters. The recipe yields four, but you can easily scale the measurements up or down for a party or for solo sipping.
Watermelon Mojito
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Revel in the season with this fruity Mojito riff. The mix of muddled watermelon and mint leaves, rum, lime juice, agave nectar, and club soda might be even more thirst-quenching than the original.
Continue to 9 of 11 belowPainkiller
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First shaken up on the British Virgin Islands in the 1970s, this Piña Colada riff includes rum, pineapple and orange juices, and cream of coconut, garnished with freshly grated nutmeg. True to its name, the tasty concoction should cure whatever ails you.
Bushwacker
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If dessert in a glass is what you crave, look no further: This frozen drink and resort-bar favorite, a creation from the Caribbean Island of St. Thomas, blends dark rum, creme de cacao, whole milk, and cream of coconut for decadent results.
Bahama Mama
Liquor.com / Tim Nusog
This midcentury classic has many of the makings of other tropical favorites, including two rums and pineapple and lime juices. But a coffee liqueur such as Kahlúa lends a distinctive depth that belies its simplicity.