Rum is by far the easiest alcohol for which to find mixers. It’s taste, while markedly alcoholic, is much lighter than other alcohols (like whiskey or tequila) and tends to agree with a wider range of liquids. Chances are, if you have some sort of liquid in your refrigerator, you have something an alcoholic mixer for rum!
Coke as a Mixer
Coke is an infamous alcohol mixer with rum and is by far the most popular (outside of the U.S. and Canada, lime is also added into the mix and the beverage is referred to as a “Cuba Libre”). Once thought to be salacious due to its rich color, Coke may disguise the taste of rum almost completely. Some prefer Vanilla Coke as the rum alcohol mixer of choice, as it may make the beverage taste entirely like Vanilla Coke! For best results, use this alcohol mixer with white rum.
Coconut Milk as a Mixer
You may have noticed the most common flavoring of rum is coconut. If you have straight rum but want to have a creamy, more refreshing and gentle variant, coconut milk may be the alcohol mixer you’re looking for. Simply add one tablespoon of coconut milk to every ounce of rum poured. This alcohol mixer is less artificial and sweet tasting than coke, but still enhances the taste with natural juices and sugar. If you wish, after adding your coconut milk mixer, you might also add some pineapple. But the coconut milk works as an adequate alcohol mixer on its own.
Orange Juice as a Mixer
If you’ve ever heard of a “Screwdriver” before, orange juice is the alcohol mixer that turns rum into the tool-nickname-toting drink! This will be less creamy and more acidic than coconut milk as an alcohol mixer, but still receives quite the notoriety in the alcohol drinking world. For best results, use a high quality white rum (as the orange juice will reveal poor quality more than other alcohol mixers).
Lemon-Lime Soda as a Mixer
While Coke may be a rather intense soda to use as an alcohol mixer because of its rich syrupy sweetness, lemon-line soda is lighter mixer alternative. If you choose lemon-line soda as an alcohol mixer, the quality of the rum doesn’t matter as much. But dark rums are advised.
Lemon Juice as a Mixer
If you like the idea of using a lemon mixer with rum but don’t like the idea of a soda mixer for alcohol (or for rum in particular) an alternative is merely adding lemon juice and some sugar. When lemon juice is used as an alcohol mixer with rum it creates a “Rum Sour” and makes for an alcoholic treat that is like an adult version of lemonade!
Ginger Ale as a Mixer
Ginger ale is alcohol mixer that is the compromise between lemon-line soda and coke. While slightly harsher than lemon-line soda, but not quite as intense as Coke, ginger ale and rum create a rich taste that is neither syrupy or too sweet. Called a “Rum Highball,” ginger ale as an alcoholic mixer works best when the rum is of a decent quality. Like orange juice, it’s a mixer which tends to reveal more of the rum’s integrity.
WORKS CITED
The Bartender’s Bible: 1001 Mixed Drinks and Everything You Need to Know to Set up Your Bar. New York, NY: HarperPaperbacks, 1993. Print.
