Celebrate National Rum Day 2024 With These Bottles & Cocktails

Rum has its fair share of curious imbibers and true enthusiasts and is a category that is seeing plenty of growth both domestically and worldwide. For National Rum Day, we’re focusing on a handful of cocktails, bottle offerings, and even distilleries to get readers in the mood to celebrate. I know today (August 16) is National Rum Day, but as someone who proudly states gin as my favorite spirit, rum is slowly creeping up the list as I learn more. The history of rum dates back to the 1600s, with Barbados universally considered its birthplace. Across the Caribbean and other parts of the world, rum producers have particular methods of creating the spirit via pot or column stills, with unaged or light rum and aged or dark rum completing a wide range of flavors.

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Without getting geeky about it, some rums tout the fact they don’t use any additives such as sugar or caramel coloring, and very few companies are transparent about that. The unaged and aged rums of Barbados and Jamaica don’t use any additives, leaning on the well-earned craft of blending and aging where appropriate to coax out the complex flavors of their products. Other countries and producers also avoid additives as well.

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There are some “dosed” or rums with added sugars that have such a nominal amount that it doesn’t truly adulterate the flavor. That said, rum purists out there steer far away from those generally speaking. Then there are overproof rums, a category I’m most familiar with as a person who enjoys tiki drinks and rum punch. These are akin to full-proof or barrel-proof whiskies due to their high ABV count.

National Rum Day, like most of these sorts of holidays, has roots that we’re still trying to determine. According to the Days of the Year website, the holiday was first celebrated in the U.S. Virgin Islands back in 1999. But who are we kidding? We don’t need a reason to enjoy “kill devil” but we’re going to do it big today.

Also, if you’re looking for something this weekend beyond rum, check out this summer sips guide I put together. However, you should really have some rum today!

Celebrate safely!

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1. Bacoo

As I noted in the piece above, I’m not at all a rum expert but thanks to the great DMV Spirits store, I was able to procure a bottle of the brand’s 12 year expression. According to what I could find online, the rum is reportedly additive-free and made from sugarcane juice in the Dominican Republic. As a sipper, the 80 proof rum is an easy pour, especially for someone who routinely drinks 90 proof and up. It still packs a ton of flavor at this proof and while I wouldn’t necessarily mix it, it would hold up in a cocktail.

Learn more here.

2. Blackberry Mint Splash

2 oz Club Kokomo Artisanal White Rum
1.5 oz Lemon Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
5 Blackberries
3-5 Mint Leaves

Steps:
Add blackberries, mint and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker. Carefully muddle all of the ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients. Add ice and shake for 15 seconds. Dump entire contents into the glass of your choice (or strain into glass over fresh crushed ice to avoid seeds/pulp). Can be served with soda water in a Collins glass
Garnish: Fresh Mint
Glass: Old Fashioned, Collins (if adding soda water)

3. Captain and Cola

Ingredients:
1.5 oz. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
3 oz. cola
Lime wedge garnish

Directions:

Get a highball glass or old fashioned glass and pour away.

4. Cranberry Blood Orange Rum Fizz

Ingredients:
2 oz Light Rum
1 oz Langers Cranberry Blood Orange Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
Club Soda
Ice
Garnish: Lime wheel and cranberry skewer

Instructions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the light rum, Langer’s Cranberry Blood Orange Juice, lime juice, and simple syrup. Shake well until the mixture is chilled. Strain the mixture into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with club soda and stir gently. Garnish with a lime wheel and a skewer of fresh cranberries.

5. Foursquare Distillery

I don’t want to nerd this out too much but the rum made in Barbados is among the finest in the world. Foursquare Distillery produces several rums and I’m very fond of its R.L. Seale 10 and 12 year expressions, something I would recommend for whiskey (or whisky) lovers. The Doorly’s line, which includes the sherry cask-finished XO and the impressive 14 year expression, is for those ready to dive into the complexities of aged rum. Then there is the Exceptional Cask Series, the most premium expression made by Foursquare. I currently have the 2011 and Equipoise and have tried other ECS offerings at their stellar distillery. You really can’t go wrong with anything they make.

Learn more here.

6. Mount Gay Rum

Mount Gay Rum was founded in 1703, making it the oldest rum brand in the world and it certainly earned its place in the annals of rum lore by creating a consistent, additive-free product. I’m fond of the Black Barrel expression but recently had XO on a tour of the distillery and I may have to change my rankings. I have a cask strength bottle as well that I’m waiting for a special occasion to try. National Rum Day, anyone?

Learn more here.

7. Redemption Rum Cask Finish

Redemption specializes in fine American whiskey, which includes bourbon and rye whiskey in a variety of innovative finishes. We’re focusing, naturally, on Redemption Rum Cask Finish, which takes its classic rye and finishes it in Jamaican and Barbadian barrels. Why this is key is that these are two islands known for not “dosing” their rums so you’re getting pure rum flavor on the finish. I’ve had this one and I vouch for it. It makes one killer Old Fashioned.

Learn more here.

8. Sammy's Beach Bar Rum

9. Spiced Rum Piña Colada

Ingredients:
1 ½ parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
1 part cream of coconut
¼ pineapple juice
Method: Add all ingredients to empty mixing glass and shake. Add ice and shake again vigorously.

Strain into highball or tiki glass and fill with ice. Garnish with fresh pineapple, maraschino cherry and toasted coconut flakes.

10. The Knickerbocker Cocktail

Ingredients:
2 oz. Dos Maderas 5+3 Rum
.5 oz. Cointreau
.75 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz .(2:1) Raspberry Syrup

Steps:
Prepare your Raspberry Cane Syrup by dissolving 2 parts sugar into 1 part boiling water. Add 1 part muddled raspberries. Let macerate and cool for an hour. Then strain out the solids. Cut a lime in half and juice. Keep the shell. Chill a Highball glass. Add all ingredients to your shaker. Fill the shaker with cracked ice. Shake vigorously for 5 seconds. Double-strain, using a fine mesh strainer to remove excess pulp and ice shards, into your chilled glass. Fill with crushed ice. Garnish with your half lime shell filled with fresh raspberries and serve with a reusable straw.