5 Rum Drinks For The Holidays

5 Rum Drinks For The Holidays post image

Snowflakes are falling.  Gifts are being wrapped and given. Cards and candles are everywhere.  It’s almost like there’s something special going on this time of year.

While spending time – willingly or otherwise – with friends and family, it just feel right without the right drink to add to the merriment (or help with the tolerance, depending on your own situation).  So here are 5 drinks to help you keep full of holiday cheer.

Hot_Eggnogg_BoxedEgg Nogg

.75 oz Brandy
.75 oz Rum
.5 oz Sugar
3 oz Whole Milk or Heavy Cream
1 Whole Egg

Mix rum, brandy, sugar, egg, and milk in a mixing tin.  Fill the tin with ice and shake like your life depends on it. Strain into a glass or goblet and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

Thick and frothy and full of spice, this is one of the more traditional drinks of the holidays.  And if you’re wondering whether to use brandy or rum, the solution is to use both!  Find yourself a good spiced rum like Foursquare or Old New Orleans Cajun Spiced Rum, or if you want something with more depth, reach for a bottle of Coruba or Cruzan Blackstrap. For an interesting twist, try making your nog with hot or steamed milk instead of shaking with ice (pictured above).

Hot Buttered Rum

2 oz Rum
3 tsp Sugar
.5 tsp Allspice
.5 tsp Cloves
1 tbsp Butter
Hot Water

Warm a mug or glass, and then add sugar and about 1.5 oz of hot water to the mug.  Stir sugar and water until sugar is well-dissolved.  Add rum and spices and then fill top the mug with hot water.  Add butter and stir until butter is completely melted.  Garnish with a cinnamon stick and/or orange peel, depending on the flavor you’re looking for.

Baby, it’s cold outside.  What better way to feel all warm and cozy than with some hot spices, rum, and some comforting buttery flavor to boot?  Use a good, flavorful rum for this.  Spiced rums work well, though I’m a bit partial to using a Jamaican rum like Appleton Estate V/X.

Hot Apple Cider

4 parts apple cider (soft cider)
2 parts gold rum
1 part spiced rum
2 cinnamon sticks
8 cloves
2 tsp fresh allspice
1 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
fresh orange peel

Using a saucepan, pot, or crockpot, mix all the ingredients except for the orange peel. Heat the mixture over low-to-medium heat for about 5 minutes. Twist the orange peel over the cider to release the oils and then drop the peel into the pot. Add the rum, and continue to heat for approx. 15-20 minutes, or until your kitchen and surrounding rooms smell like warm apples and cinnamon.

If you and your guests are looking for a communal way to feel warm and jolly, it’s hard to go wrong with a traditional rum and apple cider combination served from a hot pot on the stove.  The spices, apples, and rum fill the room with a wonderful holiday aroma, adding a nice accent to the merriment.  It’s hard to find a rum that doesn’t work here, though I usually use Appleton Estate V/X or Mount Gay Eclipse for the gold rum and Foursquare for the spiced.

Blackheart_Punch_BoxedBlackheart Punch
by Blair Reynolds from Trader Tiki

1 part Fresh Lime Juice
1 part Fresh Lemon Juice
2 parts Cinnamon Syrup
1 part Black Strap Rum
2 parts Amber Rum (Cruzan preferred)
4 parts Iced Black Tea

Serve in a punch bowl with a large block of ice.  Float mint leaves, cinnamon sticks and frozen lime wheels.  Ladle over rocks with a spring of mint and a dash of Aromatic bitters.

If the name sounds odd for a holiday treat, that’s because it’s a brand new creation from the mind of Trader Tiki.  Originally entered in the punch contest hosted by Malo Cantina and myself, this recipe has the right combination of spices and jolly-making rum to keep your party singing carols through-out the night.  Set it in a bowl and let your loved ones serve themselves until the snow stops falling.

Kickstart_Cocktail_BoxedKickstart Cocktail
by Darcy O’Neil from Art of Drink

1.25 oz Gold Rum (or other good rum)
.5 oz Vanilla Liqueur
1 oz Cold Coffee*
1 tsp Cinnamon Syrup
1 tsp Simple Syrup (2:1)

Stir and Strain into cocktail glass, garnish with cinnamon stick.

* Brew a strong pot of coffee using a medium roast coffee bean. Allow sufficient time for coffee to cool before using it in the cocktail. If needed, put coffee carafe on ice.

Several weeks ago I started polling bartenders, mixologists, and bloggers about their favorite holiday drinks that use rum to help come up with a list like this.  The vast majority responded with egg nogg, hot buttered rum, rum and cider and the various variations thereof.  Darcy, however, sent me this “holiday-ish” concoction made with rum, coffee, and vanilla liqueur.  Darcy recommends using Cockspur Old Gold Rum, while I’ve been drinking them (research, you know) with Appleton Estate 12 Year Old.  Classy and delicious.

Question of the Day:

What are your favorite holiday rum cocktails?

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Blair, aka Trader Tiki

    December 22, 2009, 14:35

    I heartily accept and fully endorse this web post.

  • Cocktail Enthusiast (Kevin)

    December 23, 2009, 12:00

    I love me some hot buttered rum. I think it’s the awesome combination of booze and butter that does it for me. I’ve taken to adding a bit of fresh orange zest to mine. It looks nice floating on top and adds a tasty orange kick.

  • Rick

    January 6, 2010, 10:10

    2 parts cinnamon syrup in the Blackheart seems like it would be insanely sweet – is that the right amount?

  • Matt Robold

    January 7, 2010, 09:52

    It’s taken exactly from Blair’s submission, and he’s sticking to the Olde Rhyme: 1 of sour, 2 of sweet…

  • John

    January 27, 2011, 12:00

    Just what I needed on a “Stuck in the house due to snow day”

  • Big Baby Jesus

    December 21, 2011, 16:39

    The recipe for the hot apple cider, the units in it are all screwed up. 1 part this, 2 parts that, and then all of a sudden it’s a teaspoon of something. I was going to make a single serving to check it out, but I think I will wait on some clarification first. Lil help?

  • Big Baby Jesus

    December 23, 2011, 20:14

    The egg nog is yummy (definitely make sure you shake the hell out of it), but the buttered rum is lacking something. I think it’s the hot water part–that needs replaced with something else to add a touch of creaminess to the drink. All in all, a good post, cheers mate!