Cocktails with Dark rum
Dark rum is a colour-based category of rum, defined by its deep brown, black or reddish colour rather than by any single legal production standard.
ABV40–45%
Taste profile
Pronounced molasses and caramel character over a medium to full body; deep and rich rather than clean or light.
How it's used
Carries a drink as a full-bodied base measure or, in smaller amounts, adds molasses depth and dark colour as an accent; built, stirred or shaken depending on the drink. Because the category is unregulated, two products labelled dark rum can differ widely in body, sweetness and molasses intensity, so they are not interchangeable by colour alone.
Substitutes for Dark rum
Another molasses-forward, full-bodied rum is the only honest swap, since the molasses/caramel aroma and heavy body cannot be reproduced by a clean or light spirit; where dark rum is only a small colouring measure, a lighter rum with a little caramel colouring reproduces the appearance.
Often confused with
Gold / amber rum
Gold rums are gold-coloured and generally take colour and body from barrel aging; dark rums are darker, from deep brown to black, and frequently owe that colour to added caramel or molasses rather than to age. Colour reliably indicates neither category's true age.
