One Bottle of White Rum: 7 Easy Cocktails That Aren't Mojitos

What can you make with white rum besides a Mojito?

White rum is much more flexible than the Mojito makes it look. It works with sharp citrus, cola, ginger beer, grapefruit, cranberry and tropical fruit, so the same bottle can move from crisp and classic to tall, fizzy and colorful.

These seven drinks are deliberately different from one another. Pick the flavor you want tonight, follow the ratio and leave the mint in the fridge.

Choose your white rum cocktail

• Most classic: Classic Daiquiri
• Easiest to build in the glass: Cuba Libre
• Freshest and easiest to keep dry: Rum Collins
• Fewest ingredients: White Rum Ginger Lime
• Best for grapefruit lovers: Grapefruit Rum Highball
• Most tropical: Passion Fruit Rum Fizz
• Best for a casual party: Cranberry Lime Rum Cooler

Making one of every recipe uses 330 ml of rum. Making two of each uses 660 ml, so one standard 700 ml or 750 ml bottle is enough to make fourteen cocktails with a little room left for measuring.

7 easy white rum cocktails that are not Mojitos

1. Classic Daiquiri

Clean, bright and properly balanced, the Daiquiri is the drink to make when you want to taste the rum rather than hide it under a long mixer.

Ingredients

• 60 ml (2 oz) white rum
• 22.5 ml (3/4 oz) fresh lime juice
• 15 ml (1/2 oz) 1:1 simple syrup
• Ice

How to make it

1. Add the rum, lime juice and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice.
2. Shake until the outside feels very cold.
3. Strain into a chilled coupe or small cocktail glass.

Quick tip: Taste your lime before pouring. A very sharp lime may need another 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of syrup, while a softer lime may need less.

For more detail on balance and substitutions, use our classic Daiquiri ratio guide.

2. Cuba Libre

It looks like a simple rum and cola, but fresh lime gives it a brighter finish and keeps the drink from feeling flat or overly sweet.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum
• 15 ml (1/2 oz) fresh lime juice
• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled cola
• Ice
• Lime wedge, optional

How to make it

1. Fill a highball glass with ice.
2. Add the rum and lime juice.
3. Top with cola and stir gently.

Quick tip: Add the lime before the cola so the drink needs less stirring and keeps more of its bubbles.

Our full Cuba Libre recipe explains how to keep this easy classic bright instead of syrupy.

3. Rum Collins

This is the light, lemony option. It feels longer and fresher than a Daiquiri, with enough soda to make it easy to sip.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum
• 22.5 ml (3/4 oz) fresh lemon juice
• 15 ml (1/2 oz) 1:1 simple syrup
• 90 ml (3 oz) soda water
• Ice

How to make it

1. Add the rum, lemon juice and simple syrup to a shaker with ice.
2. Shake briefly, then strain into an ice-filled tall glass.
3. Top with soda water and stir once.

Quick tip: Start with 10 ml (1/3 oz) syrup when you prefer a drier drink. You can add more after tasting, but you cannot take sweetness back out.

4. White Rum Ginger Lime

Spicy ginger beer does most of the work here. The result is cold, lively and useful when you want a three-ingredient drink with more character than rum and soda.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum
• 15 ml (1/2 oz) fresh lime juice
• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled ginger beer
• Ice

How to make it

1. Fill a highball or rocks glass with ice.
2. Add the rum and lime juice.
3. Top with ginger beer and stir gently.

Quick tip: Ginger beers vary a lot. A sweeter one may need another squeeze of lime, while a very spicy one may taste better with a splash of soda water.

5. Grapefruit Rum Highball

Crisp grapefruit gives white rum a slightly bitter, grown-up edge. Choose this one when tropical sweetness is not what you want tonight.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum
• 60 ml (2 oz) pink grapefruit juice
• 7.5 ml (1/4 oz) fresh lime juice
• 60 ml (2 oz) soda water
• Ice
• Tiny pinch of salt, optional

How to make it

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add the rum, grapefruit juice and lime juice.
3. Top with soda water and stir gently.

Quick tip: A very small pinch of salt can soften grapefruit bitterness and make the fruit taste brighter. The drink should never taste salty.

6. Passion Fruit Rum Fizz

Bright, tropical and a little dramatic in the glass, this one feels like a holiday drink without needing coconut cream, a blender or a long ingredient list.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum
• 60 ml (2 oz) passion fruit juice or nectar
• 15 ml (1/2 oz) fresh lime juice
• 60 ml (2 oz) soda water
• Ice

How to make it

1. Add the rum, passion fruit and lime juice to a glass filled with ice.
2. Stir well.
3. Top with soda water and stir once more.

Quick tip: Taste the passion fruit product first. Nectar is often sweeter than juice, so add another small squeeze of lime only when the drink needs it.

7. Cranberry Lime Rum Cooler

Ruby-colored, tart and easy to scale, this is the reliable party option. It looks cheerful without asking you to build a complicated garnish.

Ingredients

• 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum
• 90 ml (3 oz) cranberry juice
• 15 ml (1/2 oz) fresh lime juice
• 60 ml (2 oz) soda water
• Ice

How to make it

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add the rum, cranberry juice and lime juice.
3. Top with soda water and stir gently.

Quick tip: Unsweetened cranberry juice is much sharper than a cranberry juice drink. When using it, add 7.5 ml (1/4 oz) simple syrup and adjust from there.

One shopping list for all seven drinks

This shopping list is designed for two of every cocktail: fourteen drinks in total. It uses 660 ml of white rum, which fits inside one standard 700 ml or 750 ml bottle.

The bottle and fresh ingredients

• 1 bottle white rum, 700 ml or 750 ml
• 6 to 8 limes
• 2 lemons
• Plenty of ice

Mixers

• At least 240 ml (8 oz) cola; a 500 ml bottle gives you comfortable extra
• At least 240 ml (8 oz) ginger beer; buy a 500 ml bottle or a small multipack
• At least 540 ml (18 oz) soda water; buy a 1-liter bottle or several small cans
• At least 120 ml (4 oz) pink grapefruit juice
• At least 120 ml (4 oz) passion fruit juice or nectar
• At least 180 ml (6 oz) cranberry juice
• At least 60 ml (2 oz) 1:1 simple syrup

You do not need to buy every mixer at once. For the smallest useful shop, choose one citrus, one fizzy mixer and one fruit juice. That still gives you several directions without turning the kitchen into a bar warehouse.

Still choosing the bottle? Our guide to the best rum styles for cocktails explains when white, dark, gold and spiced rum make the most sense.

Three white rum formulas worth remembering

1. The shaken sour

Use: 60 ml (2 oz) white rum + 22.5 ml (3/4 oz) fresh citrus + 15 ml (1/2 oz) sweetener.

Shake with ice and strain. This is the basic Daiquiri idea. Adjust the sweetener in 5 ml steps when the fruit is especially sharp or mild.

2. The tall highball

Use: 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum + 120 ml (4 oz) chilled mixer + 7.5 to 15 ml (1/4 to 1/2 oz) fresh citrus.

Build it over ice. Cola, ginger beer and other fizzy mixers fit this formula. Keep everything cold so the ice melts more slowly.

3. The fruit fizz

Use: 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) white rum + 60 to 90 ml (2 to 3 oz) fruit juice + 15 ml (1/2 oz) citrus + 60 ml (2 oz) soda water.

This works well with passion fruit, cranberry, pineapple and other bold juices. Taste before adding syrup because many packaged juices are already sweet.

Fix a white rum drink that tastes wrong

Start by making sure the drink is cold and properly mixed. Then identify the main problem and change one thing at a time.

• Too sweet: Add 5 ml (1 teaspoon) fresh lime or lemon juice. A splash of soda can also help a tall drink.
• Too sour: Add 5 ml (1 teaspoon) 1:1 simple syrup, mix and taste again.
• Too strong: Add 5 ml chilled water to a short drink, or a small amount of the original mixer to a tall one.
• Too weak or watery: Rebuild the main ingredients in their original ratio instead of adding rum alone.
• Too flat: Replace tired bubbles, add fresh ice and use a little fresh citrus aroma.

For a fuller troubleshooting method, use our cocktail rescue guide.

White rum cocktail questions

What mixes well with white rum besides mint?

Fresh lime and lemon, cola, ginger beer, soda water, grapefruit, cranberry, passion fruit and pineapple all work well. Start with one mixer and one citrus rather than combining everything at once.

Can I make these white rum cocktails without a shaker?

Yes. The Cuba Libre, Ginger Lime, Grapefruit Highball, Passion Fruit Fizz and Cranberry Cooler are built directly in the glass. The Daiquiri is best shaken, while the Rum Collins can be stirred firmly with ice when necessary.

Are white rum and light rum the same thing?

The names are commonly used for the same general style: a clear or very pale rum with a relatively light flavor. Individual bottles still taste different, so choose one you enjoy rather than relying only on color.

How many cocktails can I make from one bottle of white rum?

Using a 45 ml (1 1/2 oz) pour, a 700 ml bottle makes fifteen full drinks and a 750 ml bottle makes sixteen. Recipes using a 60 ml (2 oz) pour will reduce the total.

Can I batch these drinks for a party?

Batch the rum, still juices and syrup ahead of time, then chill. Add soda, cola or ginger beer only when serving so the drinks stay fizzy. Keep ice in the glasses rather than leaving it in the batch.

Final sip

A bottle of white rum does not have to mean another round of Mojitos. It can become a sharp Daiquiri, an easy Cuba Libre, a spicy ginger drink, a crisp grapefruit highball or something bright and fruity.

Start with the mixer already in your fridge. Measure the rum, add fresh citrus and make one small adjustment after tasting. No mint. No muddler. Still a very good drink.

For an even broader starting point, explore our easy rum cocktails for beginners.