An easy recipe for the BEST Rum sour cocktail! Made with dark rum and fresh lemon juice, this 3 ingredient classic drink is sweet, tart and refreshing!
With its range of flavors, rum is one of my "go-to" spirits for cocktails! Whether it's an easy drink like Rum and Ginger Beer, or something a little more complex like a Pina Colada, this liquor is incredibly versatile.
While there are lots of complicated rum cocktails, this Rum sour isn't - it's incredibly simple to make. It uses the same formula as a vodka sour - substituting rum for vodka.
For a three-ingredient cocktail you get a lot of "bang for your buck" - this drink is sweet, tart, refreshing with a hint of spiciness.
So, now that I've got your attention, let's get to it!
🥘 Ingredients
As I mentioned, the ingredients are super simple - you can find everything you need at almost any grocery store.
- Rum - although you could make this drink with white or gold rum, it really shines with dark rum. As to which dark rum to use, there is a huge variety out there (which is part of the fun!). Dark rums can be expensive and there is no need to use an expensive rum for this cocktail - save those for sipping on their own!
- Lemon juice - like all cocktails, freshly squeezed juice is the best!
- Simple Syrup
🔪 Instructions
As I mentioned, this rum cocktail is really easy to make.
- Add the rum, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker.
- Add ice and shake for 30 - 45 seconds.
- Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass.
- Garnish with a slice of lemon, maraschino cherry, and a sprig of mint if you're feeling fancy.
Questions
A sour is type of cocktail made with liquor (usually whiskey, vodka, gin, tequila or rum), lemon or lime juice and a sweetener. Popular cocktails like the margarita, and a gimlet are sours.
A daiquiri is made with light rum, lime juice and simple syrup. The Rum Sour switches light rum for dark and lemon juice for lime juice.
Classic sour cocktails are all about the ratios! Generally, the ratio is 2 parts liquor, 1 part sour and 1 part sweet.
But... since I'm using rum in this cocktail (which has it's own sweetness) I found the cocktail ratio for this drink a bit "off". So, after experimenting (tough job but somebody has to do it!) I decided upon a 2 parts liquor and ¾'s sweet and ¾'s sour.
If you like your cocktails on the sweeter side, go ahead and use 1 part sweet and one part sour.
Variations
This drink is made for experimentation. So here are some ideas for changing it up!
- You can definitely play with the sweetener. Demerara syrup, honey syrup or orgeat.
- Lemon juice pairs really well with dark rum, but lime juice is delicious as well.
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📖Recipe
Rum Sour cocktail
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
- Jigger
- hawthorn strainer
Ingredients
- 2 oz. dark rum
- ¾ oz. lemon juice fresh is best for this cocktail
- ¾ oz. simple syrup
- 1 lemon slice optional
- 1 maraschino cherry optional
- 1 mint sprig optional
Instructions
- Add ice to a cocktail shaker.
- Add the rum, lemon juice and simple syrup.
- Put the lid on the shaker and shake for 30 - 45 seconds.
- Pour over ice into a rocks glass.
- Garnish with a lemon slice, maraschino cherry and mint if desired.
Recipe Notes
Ingredients
- Rum - although you could make this drink with white or gold rum, it really shines with dark rum. As to which dark rum to use, there is a huge variety out there (which is part of the fun!). Dark rums can be expensive and there is no need to use an expensive rum for this cocktail - save those for sipping on their own!
- Lemon juice - like all cocktails, freshly squeezed juice is the best!
- Simple Syrup - to make simple syrup combine equal parts water and sugar ( if you're not making more than one or two cocktails I recommend using ¼ cup). Combine in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool before using. To store, place in a lidded container and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
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Lisa Hatfield says
This is a great cocktail, I used Puerto Rican dark rum and the garnish is beautiful. A great sipper!
Nancy says
Awww... thanks!!!!