Rum Old Fashioned

The Rum Old Fashioned follows the same technique as the classic whiskey version — build in the glass, stir gently, express the orange peel. The key difference is the rum's natural sweetness: aged rum is already sweeter than bourbon or rye, so use less syrup than you would in a whiskey Old Fashioned. Start with ¼ oz and taste before adding more.

The rum is everything here. Use a quality aged rum with complexity — Appleton Estate 12, Mount Gay Black Barrel, or El Dorado 12 are excellent choices. The demerara syrup complements the rum's molasses character beautifully. Angostura bitters are essential; the orange bitters add a citrus brightness that lifts the whole drink. Don't use white rum — the oak aging is what makes this work.

The Rum Old Fashioned is a natural evolution of the classic cocktail format applied to rum — a spirit that predates bourbon by centuries. Rum was the dominant spirit in colonial America before whiskey took over, and the Old Fashioned format (spirit, sugar, bitters) was originally applied to rum as often as whiskey. This is a return to roots.

Coconut Rum Old Fashioned

Add ¼ oz of coconut water or a small amount of coconut-washed rum to the mix. The coconut adds a tropical sweetness that plays beautifully against the bitters and orange peel. Use a Barbadian rum like Mount Gay for the best result.

Agricole Old Fashioned

Use rhum agricole (Martinique rum made from fresh sugarcane juice) instead of aged molasses rum. The agricole's grassy, vegetal character creates a more complex, less sweet Old Fashioned. Use Rhum J.M. VSOP or Clément VSOP.