National Rum Day

A hot Texas summer is the perfect time to pump the brakes and get out of the fast lane, and there’s no better reason to do so than National Rum Day.

It’s time to raise a chilled glass of a pirate’s favorite pastime and kick back with a delicious rum drink. This year, why not stray from the herd and mix up something a little different. Rum’s versatile flavors allow it to be mixed into just about anything you want.

Check out some of these rum recipes that’ll keep your cocktail umbrella in good spirits.

Rum Old Fashioned

Give the Old fashioned a little twist with some dark rum. It goes perfectly with the zesty orange to make a deeply-flavored short cocktail.

Ingredients

• 2 parts Zaya 12 Year Gran Reserva Rum
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 splash of water
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• Orange peel for garnish

Directions

1. Add sugar and Angostura Bitters to a rocks glass with a single ice cube. Stir the mix until the ice cube has melted enough to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add another 3-4 ice cubes and half of the Zaya rum, then stir for 60 seconds.
3. Fill glass with more ice and add the rest of the rum, then stir for another 60 seconds.
4. Cut a piece of orange peel about the size of your thumb (be careful not to bend it yet). Hold the orange peel over the glass and bend it to release some oil into the drink.
5. Add it to the drink, stir and serve.

Rum Swizzle

Makes 6
Give one of Bermuda’s national drinks (yes, they have more than one) a spot on your list and you’ll be glad you did.

Ingredients

• 4 oz Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
• 4 oz Gosling’s Gold Rum
• 5 oz pineapple juice
• 5 oz orange juice
• ¾ oz grenadine
• 6 dashes Angostura Bitters 

Directions

1. Fill ⅓ of a pitcher with crushed ice. Add Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Gosling’s Gold Rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, grenadine and Angostura bitters.
2. Stir vigorously until a frothing appears or mix it in a cocktail shaker.
3. Strain into a martini glass.

Boston Rum Punch

This delicious mix of rum and lemonade is a Beantown classic.

Ingredients

• 2 oz Jamaican Rum
• 6 oz lemonade
• Grated nutmeg or half a strawberry
• Orange slice for garnish

Directions

1. Fill a shaker with ice and add rum and lemonade. Shake briefly and pour into pint glass. A
2. dd grated nutmeg or half a strawberry. Place orange slice on the rim and enjoy.

Yaka Hula Hickey Dula

Inspired by a Hawaiian love song, this delicious drink is as fun to drink as it is to say.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ oz Myers’s Dark Rum
• 1 ½ oz dry vermouth
• 1 ½ oz pineapple juice

Directions

1. Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.