Rum Swizzle
A citrus and sour rum cocktail ∙ Swizzle ∙ 3 min ∙ 16.8% ABV ∙
The Rum Swizzle is a Caribbean swizzle of aged rum, falernum, lime and lemon juice, and brown sugar syrup, churned over crushed ice.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Swizzle with crushed ice using a swizzle stick (or churn with a bar spoon): Caribbean aged rum 60 mlFalernum liqueur 20 mlLime juice 15 mlLemon juice 10 mlBrown sugar syrup 15 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 1 dash (opt.)
- Add more crushed ice to fill
- Garnish with a mint sprig and an orange slice
- Serve with a straw
Tips
- If you use the Angostura, try it Bermuda style: hold the dash back and float it on top instead of swizzling it in, so its aroma hits first.
History
The Rum Swizzle is best known today as Bermuda's national drink, most closely associated with the Swizzle Inn, a family-run pub that opened in 1932 in Bailey's Bay. Working with what was locally available at the time, the Swizzle Inn's early version blended Bermudian black rum with a Barbados-style rum, citrus juices, and falernum, and the pub has since promoted itself as home of the original recipe, though rival claims persist across Bermuda.
The swizzle style itself is older and rooted further south. Writer Edward Randolph Emerson's 1908 book Beverages, Past and Present traced the swizzle to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, where it was originally a simple, diluted mix of rum and water with an aromatic flavoring, so named for the technique of stirring it with a notched swizzle stick rather than for any particular ingredient. Other Caribbean islands, including Barbados and Trinidad, have also laid claim to the drink's invention, with swizzles recorded in the region as early as the 1830s. Bermuda's contribution was to popularize a fruitier, rum-forward version built around locally available spirits, which by the mid-20th century became fixed in the popular imagination as the Rum Swizzle.
FAQ
What is in a Rum Swizzle?
60 ml Caribbean aged rum, 20 ml falernum liqueur, 15 ml lime juice, 10 ml lemon juice, and 15 ml brown sugar syrup, plus an optional dash of Angostura bitters.
What makes a cocktail a swizzle?
Its method, not its ingredients. A swizzle is mixed in the glass over crushed ice and stirred fast with a swizzle stick spun between the palms, until frost forms on the outside. That whips the ice through the drink for a fast, even chill without a shaker. More crushed ice goes in afterward, and the drink is served with a straw, as with this Rum Swizzle.
What type of rum is best in a Rum Swizzle?
An aged Caribbean rum works best, since its caramel and spice notes stand up to the falernum and citrus rather than disappearing into them. A lighter, unaged rum makes the drink taste thinner and lets the sugar syrup dominate.
What are some variations of the Rum Swizzle?
Swizzles change mainly in spirit and sweetener. Some versions swap the falernum for orgeat or a spiced syrup, use a different style of rum, or add a dash of another aromatic bitters. In the Bermuda style, the Angostura is floated on top instead of swizzled in. What stays the same is the method: churning over crushed ice until the glass frosts.
