Bermuda Rum Swizzle
Swizzle ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.4% ABV ∙
Bermuda's national cocktail, the Bermuda Rum Swizzle mixes two rums and falernum with citrus and pineapple juices, swizzled over crushed ice.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Pour the ingredients into the chilled glass: Light gold rum 30 mlDark rum 30 mlFalernum liqueur 20 mlPineapple juice 30 mlOrange juice 30 mlPink grapefruit juice 15 mlLime juice 15 mlLemon juice 7 1/2 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes (opt.)
- Fill the glass 2/3 full with crushed ice
- Swizzle with a swizzle stick or churn with a bar spoon
- Fill the glass with more crushed ice and repeat
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- Fill the glass two-thirds with crushed ice and swizzle until frost forms on the outside, roughly 15–20 seconds, then top with more crushed ice and swizzle again.
- Squeeze the orange, grapefruit, lime and lemon just before you make the drink; most of the swizzle's aroma comes from that fresh citrus.
History
The Bermuda Rum Swizzle, now promoted as the island's national drink, is generally traced to 1932 and the Swizzle Inn in Bailey's Bay, Bermuda. The pub began serving its version made with local Gosling's rum blended with a Barbados rum and the fruit juices on hand at the time, and it still markets itself as the drink's birthplace.
The Bermuda version stands apart from other regional rum swizzles mainly through its house blend of Bermudian and Caribbean rums with citrus and pineapple juices, sweetened traditionally with falernum. The Rum Swizzle itself is older than the pub. Early Caribbean swizzles were rum diluted with water and whisked with a forked stick, and the earliest recorded mentions come from Saint Kitts (1838) and Barbados (1841). The Bermuda version, with its juices and falernum, grew out of that tradition.
FAQ
What is a Bermuda Rum Swizzle?
The Bermuda Rum Swizzle is Bermuda's national cocktail: light gold and dark rum with falernum and pineapple, orange, grapefruit, lime and lemon juices, swizzled over crushed ice in a highball glass. It is generally traced to 1932 and the Swizzle Inn in Bailey's Bay, which still calls itself the drink's birthplace.
How do you make a Bermuda Rum Swizzle?
Pour the rums, falernum, juices and optional dashes of Angostura into a chilled highball glass and fill it two-thirds with crushed ice. Swizzle with a swizzle stick or bar spoon until frost forms on the outside, about 15–20 seconds, then top with more crushed ice and swizzle again. Garnish with pineapple and a cherry.
What makes a cocktail a swizzle?
A swizzle is mixed in the serving glass over crushed ice, churned with a swizzle stick or bar spoon until frost forms on the outside, instead of being shaken or stirred in a separate tin. Early Caribbean swizzles, forerunners of the Rum Swizzle, were rum diluted with water and whisked with a forked stick.
