Mojito, Piña Colada, and Daiquiri: 3 Classic Rum Cocktails for Summer

The Mojito, Pina Colada, and Daiquiri are three classic rum cocktails that bring summer to wherever you’re kicking back. Smooth, refreshing, delicious drinks to make you feel like ocean waves are lapping at your feet.

Enjoying a refreshing cocktail at home should be pleasantly simple and uncomplicated. Ideally, each ingredient shines through in your drinks, not one thing overpowering the rest.

The mojito, pina colada, and daiquiri highlight how smoothly rum blends with a wide range of drinks, even though it can be a somewhat polarizing ingredient. As a bartender, I’ve heard many folks tell me they can’t drink rum because of the XYZ incident in college, or they’ve only ever had spiced rum or flavored rum, which didn’t leave a good impression.

Let’s take another look at this fun, versatile spirit.

Rum is distilled from sugar cane with a long, interesting history made in many different countries (primarily Caribbean & American), and offers a wide range of flavors and styles.

In addition to the too-sweet-for-me flavored and spiced rums, there is dark/aged rum (not spiced), white rum, cachaca, Agricole, navy, overproof, and gold rum. Each of these offers different flavor profiles and unique attributes, used for a variety of beverage and food recipes.

What Makes One Type of Rum Different From Another?

What’s the difference between rum? Let me take you through the following tasting notes highlighting the different flavor profiles and how to best use them.

White or Silver Rum

Clear in appearance, white and silver rum is the lightest and least complex on the palate—white rum has more mellow flavors of dried fruit, banana, herbs, and coconut. Mind you, it is not flavored this way, these are subtle nuances of what you may taste. White rum is sometimes aged and then filtered to rid the rum of impurities and bring it back to its clear coloration.

This is a great spirit choice for summer drinks because of its light body and mellow flavor, able to meld harmoniously in many cocktails. Not recommended for sipping neat, but choose your own path. White rums you’ll find on the shelf: Bacardi Superior, Mount Gay Silver, Plantation 3 Star, Brugal Extra Dry, Montanya silver, J Wray Silver

Gold or Pale Rum

This rum spends more time aging in barrels and has its namesake gold/light amber color. Due to the aging process, gold rum presents more vanilla, citrus, and caramel notes, while still maintaining the banana/coconut lightness that white rum exhibits.

In cocktails, it brings a stronger rum flavor and is sometimes preferred over darker aged rums for its affordability and flexibility. Coloring is sometimes added. Higher quality gold rums are used in desserts or ordered neat for sipping straight. Gold rums you’ll find on the shelf: Appleton Special, Brugal Anejo, Montanya Gold, Mount Gay Eclipse, Don Q Gold, El Dorado

Dark, Aged, or Anejo Rum

Arguably my favorite and the Tiki drink rum of choice. Dark rum and aged rum are essentially synonymous terms and carry a wide range of ages and colors. Dark rum offers the heaviest, most complex palate of all rums, a full-body, with robust flavors of vanilla, oak, caramel, tropical flavors, molasses, leather, and sometimes dark chocolate.

It plays well in cocktails and is versatile, smooth, and delicious enough to sip like whiskey.

Dark rum is aged in oak barrels and can be anywhere from amber to deep brown in color. Any drink that calls for white rum can sub in dark rum for a deeper, more luscious flavor. There are some very old-aged rums available, however, rum aged around 5 years works perfectly for a cocktail.

Anything very old is more for sipping, as you’ll want to experience the nuances of the age. Dark rums you’ll find on the shelf: Cruzan Estate Dark, Ron Zacapa, Bacardi Select, Barbancourt 5 Star, Plantation Dark (my go-to), Plantation 5 yr, Myers Dark, Diplomatico Anejo, El Dorado 5, Mount Gay Eclipse, Brugal 1888/Anejo.

Spiced or Flavored Rum

It’s exactly like it sounds—rum with spices added to produce a signature style full of spices or fruit notes and often sweeter on the palate. The most common spices include cinnamon, clove, anise, vanilla, molasses, coconut, black pepper, bay leaf, or fruit.

Often utilized in cocktails for depth of flavor, desserts, and holiday drinks where you want the unique flavor of warming spices, so it is not as versatile as standard rum. Spiced Rums you’ll find on the shelf: Cruzan Black Strap, Chairmans Reserve, Kraken, Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry, Bacardi Spiced Rum, Malibu Coconut Rum, Cruzan Mango and Coconut, Don Q Passion.

Cachaca or Agricole

These two rum styles are unique in the rum family as they are both made from pure, fresh sugar cane juice, as opposed to sugar cane molasses, and offer a very distinct flavor profile. They tend to have a light, lively flavor, often sweet, ripened fruit notes, grassy, earthy, tropical, citrus, as well as a floral nose.

There is something I would describe as a distinct funk in agricole and cachaca—completely unique to the spirit. It is an excellent choice to substitute in many cocktail recipes that call for rum, tequila, and even gin in some cases.

Cachaca is strictly made in Brazil (their national spirit, in fact), undergoes a single distillation, and can be aged in a wide range of Brazilian woods.

Rhum agricole is distilled through column stills, can be made anywhere but tends to come from French-speaking Caribbean countries, and is aged in American or French oak.

This particular variety of rums is well worth some exploration in your liquor cabinet. Cachaca to buy: Novo Fogo, Yaguara, Avua Prata, Leblon, Agua Luca Agricole to buy: Rhum JM, Clement, Duquesne Rhum Blanc, La Favorite, Paranubes Oaxacan, Neissan, Darboussier

Overproof or Naval Strength Rum

By definition, naval strength rum is distilled to 100 proof or 50% ABV (alcohol by volume). The historic tale says that the sailors would “prove” the strength of their rum rations by pouring it on gunpowder & igniting it to ensure it had not been watered down. 

Overproof is distilled to at least 120 proof or 60%+ABV, designed more for the economy than flavor, this high proof rum does the job quickly but is not necessarily a pleasant experience, as high alcohol content tends to burn or feel “hot” when sipped alone. 

For reference, the modern distillation process produces spirits generally between 160 and 190 proof which are then diluted to reach the 80 proof or 40% standard, making a more palatable liquor. Overproof rums: Plantation O.F.T.D, Hamilton 151, Goslings 151, Smith & Cross, Pusser’s Rum

For the mojito, pina colada, and daiquiri recipes below, we use white rum, which is the lightest style with notes of tropical fruit that are perfect for warm summer days.

I like to use a white rum from Plantation 3 Star which combines rums from 3 different areas in the Caribbean: Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad. This rum is delicious, award-winning, balanced, affordable (750ml for ~$19), and maintains ethical practices with its employees and production. They also make a variety of aged and flavored rums should you decide to explore more rum options.   

Lime & Mint Mojito Cocktail Recipe

This cocktail is popular in the summer because it brings together the best refreshing flavors—bright lime and fresh mint. The addition of soda draws out the longevity of the cocktail and adds a little bubble, making it an ideal sipper for a hot day. Serve Mojitos with Fresh Peach and Heirloom Tomato Salsa or Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos.

Mojito Recipe Variations

• Any herb like rosemary, basil, thyme, lemon verbena can be substituted for the mint. Simply muddle what you like into the drink; follow the recipe otherwise.
• Muddle 2-3 tablespoons of juicy, fresh fruit like berries, pineapple, pears, or melon with the mint or other herbs per drink; follow the recipe otherwise.
• Substitute fun soda flavors instead of plain club soda. I like the Pamplemousse La Croix or the spiced orange soda from Fever Tree. 

Pina Colada Recipe

For those who are looking for a simple blended drink, a pina colada is a very tasty choice. Creamy coconut and sweet pineapple juice create a tropical blend of flavors that will make you feel like there are ocean waves lapping at your feet!

We add a hint of lime for the perfect balance of flavor. Serve Pina Coladas with Crispy Pan-Fried Fish Tacos with Street Corn Sauce or Thai Chili Sesame Shrimp.

Pina Colada Recipe Variations

• Using orange juice as a replacement for pineapple juice will result in an OJ colada which tastes a bit more like an orange creamsicle. You may want to add a bit more simple syrup as orange juice tends to be less sweet than pineapple juice.
• Add 1/2 cup of strawberries to blend in to make a Miami Vice, which is the winning combination of a Strawberry Daiquiri and a Pina Colada all in one. Any berry can work in this case! Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries – choose your own path.
• Using dark rum brings on a richer rum flavor.

Traditional Daiquiri Recipe

This recipe is based on the true classic daiquiri cocktail, not those blended sugar bombs you might find at a beach house. It is straightforward and can be altered to fit your specific palate. Personally, I like my drinks to be a little on the tart side I’ll use a little more lime and less syrup to make my ideal daiquiri.

This will be the “smallest” and most direct of all the drinks served up in a coupe with a lime wheel. Serve with a beautiful Charcuterie Board or Grilled Herb-Buttermilk Chicken with Tomato-Basil Butter.

Daiquiri Recipe Variations

Make fun fruit purees at home to add to our daiquiris! Here are a few examples:

Mango Puree: Combine one cup ripe cubed mango (peeled and seed removed) with 1.5 ounces simple syrup (more if you like it sweeter) and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. You don’t want it to be super thick, so dilute with approximately 1-3 ounces mango juice, orange juice, or pineapple juice (whatever is on hand), until it has a similar consistency to high pulp OJ. Replace the simple syrup in the cocktail recipe with 1 ounce of the puree.

Watermelon Puree: Combine 1 cup of cubed watermelon and 1.5 ounces simple syrup and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. The watermelon should be juicy enough to not need additional liquid added, but you are always welcome to do so! Replace the simple syrup in the cocktail recipe with 1 ounce of the puree.

Frozen Daiquiris: Combine recipe ingredients with 3/4 cup of ice in a blender and blend on high to create a slushy drink. Pour into a glass and garnish with a lime wheel or other fresh fruit.

Handy Simple Syrup Recipes for Cocktails

You can buy different types of syrups which are more difficult to make at home like passionfruit or lychee, but many are quite easy to make at home. Replace the Simple Syrup in the cocktail recipe with any store-bought or homemade syrups.

• Simple Syrup (SS): You may also use ANY sugar like cane sugar, coconut palm sugar, brown sugar, whatever is in the cabinet. It may affect the flavor slightly but I think that’s a good thing.
  MAKE IT: Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Cool before mixing in drinks.
• Honey Syrup: The ratio is 2:1 for honey if you want to keep your sugar intake more natural.
  MAKE IT: Combine 2/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup water, stir to incorporate (warm slightly if the room is cold to fully blend). It does impart a slight honey flavor to drinks. 
• Ginger Syrup: Wash the fresh ginger but you do not need to peel it.
  MAKE IT:Combine equal parts by weight of ginger, water, and sugar in a blender and until sugar has integrated and no chunks of ginger exist. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer or a chinois if you have one. Discard or compost the solids. Keep the syrup in a sealed mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Also good in our Ginger-Blackberry Twisted Mule Cocktail
• REAL Grenadine: is pomegranate syrup! Often confused with the sickly-sweet “cherry” red syrup in Shirley Temples, true grenadine is a deeper red/purple color and is not as sweet as Rose’s grenadine.
  MAKE IT: Combine 1 cup Pomegranite juice and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer to reduce the syrup by 25% and remove from heat. Cool before mixing in drinks. Standard grenadine calls for orange flower water, so if you have it, add 3-5 dashes. A good substitute is fresh orange peel oil. Use a peeler to peel just the orange skin from a fresh orange. Use your fingers to pinch the peels to express the oils into the grenadine. It is also alright if you don’t add anything to the pom/sugar mixture. 

There are MANY more iterations of rum-based drinks. Do not hesitate to be adventurous—cocktails are not an exact science and should be fun. Sometimes I just squeeze half a lime into my drink and adjust sweetness as needed or use more rum because I want a stiffer drink. Other times I change it up with random fruit I have on hand. Use what you have, don’t overthink it, and enjoy it!