How to Make a Perfect Rum and Coke

It's just rum with Coke, right? Well, yes, but there's a bit more to it.

This simple rum highball is slurped down by bar guests and at-home cocktail drinkers everywhere for obvious reasons.

The comfortably familiar flavor of Coke supported by the warmth of a good rum makes for something that's hard to hate. Crisp bubbly goodness that can be made almost anywhere with your favorite rum.

Let's get into it.

What type of rum should you use?

Rum comes in many different styles from lots of different places, and just about any decent quality rum will be great.

If you've never tried a Rum + Coke start of with a white rum for a crisp classic flavor and then move on from there.

The drink is also great with dark, overproof, pot still, and demerara rums, or try it with Rhum Agricole or Cachaca for a funky twist.

I would only suggest not using spiced rum since there are plenty of spice flavors in coke and it can make the drink come across too sweet (it's already plenty sweet from the Coke).

Best Rums for Rum & Coke

Here are a few of my favorites from different styles of rum. This is not an extensive list and please go experiment for yourself!

White Rum: Plantation 3 Stars, El Dorado 3 yr, Banks 5 yr, or Flor de Cana Extra Seco 

dark RUM: El Dorado 8 yr, Appleton Estate Signature Blend, 

overproof RUM: Smith and Cross, Wray and Nephew, Rum Fire

Rhum Agricole: Rhum JM, Trois Rivieres

The ideal Rum + Coke ratio

The perfect ratio of Rum to Coke is somewhere between 1:2 and 1:3. When you use a delicious rum you want the flavors to come through in the final drink so don't drown it out in Coke!

Start out with 2 ounces of rum poured over ice in a soda or Collins glass, then slowly pour about 4 ounces of soda over top. If you taste it and want a little more soda go for it!

Pour the Coke right into the glass without measuring.

Every time you measure something with carbonation you lose some bubbles so keep the pouring to a minimum.

What's the deal with Mexican Coke?

Coca-Cola in the United Sates is made using high fructose corn syrup, but Coke from Mexico is made using real cane sugar. Many people claim that the cane sugar recipe is superior, and I think I agree. 

The cane version does seem to taste better but I will also be doing some further investigation into if it really makes that big of a difference in drinks. Even if it doesn't taste much different it comes in a cool glass bottle that makes it worth looking for.

You can often find it in the Hispanic section of the grocery store, but if not just grab some here on Amazon.

Next time you have a summer BBQ and want something super easy grab yourself a nice bottle of rum and a few Mexican Cokes.

Please avoid chugging.