8 Manly Rum Drinks to Try Out (Rum Is For Everyone!)

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Nothing beats a classic cocktail. Sometimes, cocktails have a reputation for being feminine drinks, as they’re often associated with fruity drinks, but that isn’t always the case. 

You’re missing out if you aren’t exploring the world of cocktails because of the preconceived notion that they aren’t manly. There are a variety of cocktails out there to satisfy any taste — even for the manliest of men.

In particular, rum cocktails take on the rich, deep flavor of rum complimented by a combination of various mixes to make the perfect cocktails. The best part is that many rum drinks aren’t fruity, nor will they undermine your manliness while drinking them.

So, are you looking to serve something other than beer for your guy’s night that will still make you feel like it’s guy’s night? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find eight new manly rum drinks to try out and gain other ideas for a night of good drinks with the bros.

What Are Manly Drinks?

Here’s the truth: there’s no such thing as a manly drink. If you’re a 6’4 and 250-pound man and want to enjoy a pina colada or a Mai Tai, there’s no reason you shouldn’t.

That said, it’s understandable if men want stronger liquor in their drinks – or at least a drink with a stronger and perhaps more masculine character. However, that does not mean that you have to limit yourself to a keg and that these types of cocktails aren’t for everyone, or that men generally have a taste for only taking shots and shots of bourbon every guy’s night. Lager isn’t the only manly drink out there!

There are an array of different cocktails to try that you can characterize as manly. These cocktails compromise various spirits, mixes, and even garnishes, making them a drink suited for a king.

To give you an idea, here are some drinks often considered to be made with men in mind:

  • Bloody Mary
  • Tom Collins
  • White Russian
  • Rob Roy
  • Mint julep
  • Cuba Libre
  • Hemingway daiquiri 

Generally, if a drink is named after a man, such as with Hemingway daiquiri or Rob Roy, it’s safe to say it’s considered a manly enough drink.

If rum is your spirit of choice, there’s no shortage of manly cocktails that you can make, especially considering the different types of rum there are out there.

Ingredients for Manly Rum Drinks

It’s essential to figure out the ingredients you need for your manly rum drinks before attempting to make them. Think about the typical cocktails you like. Do you prefer a sweeter drink or do you enjoy a little bitterness?

Rum

The essential ingredient for a manly rum drink is, of course, rum!

Rum is distilled liquor that comes from sugar cane. For this reason, most of the world’s rum comes from the Caribbean, although there are rum producers in the Philippines and Taiwan, too. 

Once produced, rum often ages in oak barrels, where it develops its deep, strong, and unique flavor. 

Different rums provide different flavors, so it’s essential first to understand what type of rum drink you’re going for.

Do you like a deep flavor or prefer to barely taste the rum? What you decide will dictate the type of rum drink you make.

Here are your choices for different types of rum:

  • White rum/light rum: Clear rum aged for less time. Once aged, distillers typically remove the color with charcoal. White rum won’t overpower any of your drinks, making it ideal for mixing with fruit juices.
  • Dark rum: This rum has a more robust flavor and a richer, deeper color due to the longer aging time. It pairs great with more potent mixers like ginger beer or Coca-Cola.
  • Gold rum: Gold rum is an amber-colored rum with a smooth taste. Gold rum is also sweeter than light rum, and you’ll find notes of vanilla, molasses, and butterscotch. 

Captain Morgan carries all of these types of rum and their famous spiced rum. If you want to get a little wild, you can also choose overproof rum, which is over 50% ABV and used to make strong drinks such as a Zombie.

Once you have your rum, you must figure out what other ingredients complement it to form a delicious drink.

Mixers and Garnishes

The point of a rum drink is to do more than simply take a shot of rum – unless your drink of choice is rum on the rocks (which we’ll mention later). For this reason, it’s important to consider the mixers and garnishes you’ll need for your drink.

Additional ingredients you’ll want to consider having around for your rum drinks include:

  • Coca-Cola
  • Simple syrup 
  • Lemon
  • Lime juice
  • Pineapple juice 
  • Tomato juice
  • Orange slice
  • Grapefruit juice
  • Maraschino cherry
  • Ginger ale
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Brown sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce

You’ll find a variety of rum drinks that mix with ginger ale or ginger beer, as the two intense flavors meld together to produce a new unique flavor. Lime goes incredibly well with rum, so you’ll find that many rum drinks call for lime juice or at least a lime wedge for garnish.

Different combinations of these mixers will create an infinite number of unique rum drinks for you and your friends to enjoy. You can even mix rum with other liquors for a more intense drink.

Let’s look at some delicious manly rum drinks that you should try out. 

Top 8 Manly Rum Drinks

Rum is a versatile ingredient that can make many different drinks. It’s all about trying different mixes to choose the right one for your taste.

Need some guidance? Here are eight manly rum drinks to try out on your next guy’s night.

1. Cuba Libre

Cuba Libre is probably the most famous cocktail to come out of Cuba (after the daiquiri) and one of the most well-known cocktails worldwide due to its simplicity. With only three ingredients, chances are you can make this cocktail with what you have at home.

However, don’t be fooled by the simple ingredients. The different flavors of this cocktail work together to form the perfect hint of sweetness and tartness. You may even be tempted to omit the lime and make a simple rum and coke, but you will quickly taste the difference.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ounce of rum of choice (Dark or spiced rum works best)
  • 3 ounces of Coca-Cola
  • Lime wedge
  • Ice

Instructions:

  1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
  2. Add rum and Coca-Cola.
  3. Garnish with lime. Squeeze the lime into the drink before drinking to get the drink’s full flavor.
Cuba Libre drink with lime and ice

2. Dark and Stormy

Next on our list of manly rum drinks is the Dark and Stormy. 

Do you enjoy a classic Moscow mule? If your favorite part is the strong ginger flavor, you’ll want to try this variation using rum.

As the name suggests, you must make a Dark and Stormy with dark rum to get the full flavor. The sweet and spicy ginger beer combined with the lime juice’s tartness makes this an intense and flavorful drink perfect for a guy’s night. 

Use a good quality ginger beer rather than ginger ale. It makes a world of difference for your drink.

Ingredients: 

  • 2 ounces of dark rum
  • ½ ounce of lime juice
  • 3 ounces of ginger beer (or however much you need to top the drink)
  • Lime wedge

Instructions:

  1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
  2. Add rum.
  3. Pour in lime juice.
  4. Top with ginger beer.
  5. Garnish with a lime wedge, and squeeze into the drink for extra lime flavor.

3. Mojito

A mojito is more than a classic summer drink. Mojitos are typically quite strong and could suit the palate of any man.

Mint and white rum work together in this drink to deliver a unique flavor. You can adjust the amount of lime based on your taste and the amount of simple syrup if you don’t like it too sweet.

The beauty of mojitos is that they’re easy to make, so adjust the recipe as needed!

Ingredients: 

  • 5 mint leaves
  • 2 ounces of white rum
  • 1 ounce of fresh lime juice
  • ½ ounce of simple syrup
  • Ice
  • Club soda or sparkling water
  • Lime slices for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add the mint to the bottom of a cocktail shaker and lightly muddle it.
  2. Add the rum, lime juice, simple syrup, and a handful of ice. Shake well.
  3. Strain the drink into a glass of ice and top it with club soda. Add the lime slice of garnish, and enjoy!

4. Planter’s Punch

Planter’s punch is a classic rum drink that, unlike most drinks on this list, is fruit-based. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a manly rum drink. 

This cocktail is a fruity mix spiked with liquor, with more fruits on top. What makes this a great drink is how versatile it is. You can use any sort of fruit juice for the base and any other fruits for garnish. Fruits and juices you may want to consider include:

  • Pineapple
  • Guava
  • Mango
  • Orange

Mix and match the juices for a real punch effect. You can also adjust the alcohol content for your desired booze level!

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ½ ounces of dark rum
  • 2 ounces of fruit juice of your choice
  • 1/2 ounce of lime juice
  • ¼ ounce of grenadine
  • 2 ounces of club soda (optional)
  • Fruit of your choice for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Pour the rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, and grenadine into a shaker filled with ice cubes and shake well.
  2. Strain the drink into a highball glass filled with ice cubes.
  3. Optionally top it with club soda and other fruits. Enjoy!

5. Long Island Iced Tea

Don’t plan on serving this drink at a tea party!

Here’s a fun fact: there’s no iced tea in this drink at all. On the contrary, this drink contains more alcohol than any other drink on this list.

A long island iced tea only has “iced tea” in its name due to its color, which bartenders achieve with just a splash of Coca-Cola. Yes, the remainder of the drink is liquor – four different types, including rum. 

What better to serve on a guy’s night? But be warned, this is considered a one-and-done cocktail, so expect it to be your only drink for the night.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ounce of vodka
  • 1 ounce of white rum
  • 1 ounce of tequila
  • 1 ounce of gin
  • 1 ounce of triple sec
  • 1 ounce of simple syrup
  • 1 ounce of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • Coca-Cola to top
  • Optional lemon for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add the vodka, rum, tequila, gin, triple sec, simple syrup, and lemon juice to a highball glass filled with ice.
  2. Top with a splash of Coca-Cola and stir.
  3. Add garnish lemon wedge and serve.

6. Hot Toddy

Just because a drink is warm and comforting doesn’t mean it isn’t fit for a man!

A hot toddy is an ideal drink for a cold winter night. This drink can be made with rum, brandy, or whiskey, although we prefer the unique flavor that a good rum gives. You can tinker with the amount of lemon juice and lemon to better suit your taste. 

Better yet, hot toddies are said to help reduce cold symptoms. So if you feel under the weather, you can still enjoy a manly rum drink.

Ingredients: 

  • 4 ounces of hot water
  • 2 ounces of spiced rum
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • ½ ounce of lemon juice
  • Optional cinnamon sugar

Instructions:

  1. Combine the hot water and rum in a mug. 
  2. Stir in the honey and the lemon juice. 
  3. Top with a dash of cinnamon sugar if desired, and serve warm.
Hot toddy drinks with lemon and cinnamon stick garnish

7. Rum Old Fashioned

Next on our list of manly rum drinks is a rum old fashioned. 

Who’s more manly than Don Draper? Very few characters on recent television have embodied the epitome of masculinity as Don Draper, so it’s only fitting that we include his go-to drink on this list. 

Although an old fashioned usually uses bourbon, this is a twist on the classic drink using dark rum instead. The rum gives it an extra depth of flavor that goes well with this drink’s sweetness and aromatic bitters. 

Ingredients: 

  • 2 ounces of dark rum
  • 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
  • A splash of water
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • Ice
  • Orange twist for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add sugar and bitters to a glass with one ice cube.
  2. Stir until the ice has dissolved the sugar.
  3. Add 3 more ice cubes and half the rum, then stir for another minute. 
  4. Top with more ice and the rest of the rum. Stir again.
  5. Top with an orange twist. 

8. Rum on the Rocks

Last on our list of the top manly rum drinks is a simple rum on the rocks. 

When everything else fails, liquor on the rocks is one of the manliest drinks out there. Enjoy rum on the rocks on your next guy’s night to keep it simple and sophisticated. 

It’s best to use dark rum, especially aged dark rum, but you can use any type of good quality rum. Remember, all you’re tasting is the rum, so you want to ensure top quality. If you prefer to sip your liquor straight, skip the ice altogether. 

Ingredients: 

  • 2 ounces of dark rum of your choice
  • Ice
  • Lime wedge for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Place 2 ice cubes in a rock glass.
  2. Top with rum and add a lime wedge. Enjoy!

Other Manly Drink Recipes

If rum isn’t your drink of choice, no worries. The sky’s the limit when it comes to manly drinks. 

Here are the recipes for a few other manly drinks for more inspiration. You can switch out the liquor for a couple of these drinks, like a Bloody Mary. For others, such as a white Russian, however, you may find that they taste best as the classic recipe. 

Bloody Mary

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of vodka
  • 1 cup of tomato juice
  • 1 ounce of lemon juice
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • Dash of tabasco
  • Pinch of celery sale
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Celery stick to serve
  • Ice

Instructions:

  1. Place your ice in a glass, then add the vodka, tomato juice, and lemon juice.
  2. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, and a pinch of celery salt and pepper. 
  3. Still until combined and top with a celery stick and lemon wedge.

Tom Collins

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces of dry gin
  • 1 ounce of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • ½ ounce of simple syrup
  • Club soda to top
  • Lemon wedge for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Add the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a Collins glass.
  2. Fill the rest of the cup with ice, top with club soda and stir.
  3. Garnish with a lemon wedge, and enjoy.

White Russian

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 1 ounce Kahlúa
  • 1 splash of heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Add vodka and Kahlua to a rocks glass filled with ice. 
  2. Add a splash of heavy cream.
  3. Enjoy!

The Verdict: Manly Rum Drinks Are In

To conclude, you don’t need to stick solely to beer for your next guy’s night. From Cuba Libre to a simple rum on the rocks, there are many manly rum drinks to choose from. 

Here’s a pro tip: if you don’t want to commit to purchasing entire bottles of liquor, first try these drinks out at your local bar to see if you like them before committing to making them.

As another piece of advice: don’t be afraid to modify any of the drinks in this article – you may even want to switch out the rum!

Finally, don’t remain tethered to the idea of a “manly drink.” You have the right to drink whatever you want without judgment. So, if you want to sip on a pina colada, don’t let anyone stop you!

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