How To Make A Rum Old Fashioned

Rum can do anything whiskey can do. That isn’t a matter of opinion - it’s a fact, and if this is news to you, you need to go out and get yourself a quality aged rum. You can pick one up for less than $40, and it’ll be the smartest purchase you made since you opted for that set of sheets with a higher thread count. This rum Old Fashioned is pretty much identical to a whiskey Old Fashioned - but unlike a whiskey Old Fashioned, it feels right for summer. There’s just something about the bright sugarcane notes of rum that make you want to drink it in the sunshine.

The Rum Old Fashioned

You’ll Need:

• Ice

• Rocks glass

• 2.5 ounces aged rum

• .5 ounce simple syrup

• Angostura bitters

Step One: Simple Syrup

If you like to use plain white sugar for your Old Fashioned, you can definitely do that - and you’ll want half a tablespoon. You should know, however, that we prefer simple syrup. That way, your sugar is already dissolved, and it mixes easily into your cocktail.

To make simple syrup, just take equal parts sugar and warm water, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. If you want an even more deluxe rum Old Fashioned, make your simple syrup with demerara sugar. That’ll give you some deeper, molassesy notes. Whichever route you go, pour .5 ounce simple syrup into your rocks glass.

Step Two: Bitters

We’re fans of bitter things, so we typically use around four dashes of bitters for an Old Fashioned. If bitters frighten you, you can use two. Although we really think you should follow our lead on this one. Add your bitters to the simple syrup in your rocks glass.

Step Three: Rum

You need an aged rum for this cocktail. Granted, all rum (even the clear stuff) is aged a bit - but here we’re specifically looking for an indication of age on the label. We recommend something with a minimum of eight years of aging, with a nice auburn color, and if you’re worried that’ll be stupid expensive, don’t fret. Even quality aged rum is surprisingly affordable compared to something like scotch or tequila. Put 2.5 ounces in your rocks glass.

Step Four: Ice

Add ice. You want your glass filled completely with ice (to keep your drink cold and prevent heavy dilution), or if you have one big cube of ice, that’ll get you extra credit.

Stir your drink for about 20 seconds, and if some of your ice melts along the way, just add more once you’re done stirring. To garnish, cut an orange twist, and spritz it over the top of your cocktail to get those essential oils into your drink. This is a small step, but an integral one, and it’ll bring a whole new dimension to your cocktail, the way Nicolas Cage brings a new and essential flavor to any film he graces with his presence.