Rum Punch
the recipe to start with
Remember the old punch rule: one part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong, four parts weak.
Shake the rum, lime juice, syrup, and pineapple juice with plenty of ice for 12 seconds.
Strain into a tiki or highball glass filled with crushed ice.
Drop the bitters onto the ice and garnish with pineapple, mint, and a lime wheel.
Which rum for which cocktail
White rum is neutral and light; use it when freshness is central to the cocktail - Mojito, Daiquiri, Piña Colada. Gold rum has spent a few years in barrels and brings vanilla and caramel; ideal for punch and anything with fruit juice. Dark rum is full, molasses-like, and sometimes smoky - the rum you float on top of a Mai Tai or use in a Dark 'n Stormy. And overproof rum, above 60 percent, isn't a base but an accent: half a centiliter is enough. If you're buying just one bottle, choose gold rum - it's the most versatile.
The right glass
Rum cocktails call for volume. Most are long drinks with plenty of ice and juice, so count on 45 cl or more - in a small glass, the combination of juice, rum, and garnish doesn't come into its own. For tropical recipes, a tiki glass or tiki mug is the classic choice: they're made for crushed ice and an over-the-top garnish, and that's exactly the point with this genre. For more refined classics like the Daiquiri, reach for a coupe instead. Not sure? A 47 cl highball glass can handle almost anything.
Tiki Glass 45 cl
Tiki Glass Skull 70 cl
Together € 34,90 — the foundation of every tiki bar.
The right tools
For rum cocktails, besides the glass, you use a shaker, a muddler and a jigger to measure precisely. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools — together € 62,80.
Eight rum cocktails
Frequently asked questions
Which glass do you use for rum cocktails?
For tropical recipes, a tiki glass or long drink glass of 45 cl or more. View our tiki glasses and long drink glasses.
Which rum should you buy if you only get one?
Gold rum. It works in punch, tiki and most long drinks, and is neutral enough to also carry a Cuba Libre.
What is the difference between rum and rhum agricole?
Ordinary rum is distilled from molasses, while rhum agricole is made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice. The latter is grassier and sharper — delicious in a Ti' Punch, but too distinctive for most classics.
Why is there crushed ice in tiki recipes?
Crushed ice cools faster and dilutes more strongly — and that is the point with tiki, because those cocktails are sweet and strong at the same time. Without that dilution, they become syrupy.
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