London’s very best rum cocktail recipes

Try out these new and exotic takes on the old classic…

With National Rum Day fast approaching (put it in your diaries people, it’s on August 16th), we’re spoilt for choice on where to kick back and celebrate.

We don’t need to ask why we’re celebrating the versatile drink – whether diluted with coke, shaken into a Daiquiri or mixed into a punch, rum is undoubtedly a crowd favourite. The question however, is where to celebrate and with which delicious cocktail.

Here are four of our favourite new serves, from Aqua Nueva, Nightjar and the trendiest new East London pop-up: Tiki Bordel…

Flotante cocktail at Aqua Nueva

Ingredients: 80ml Zacapa 23 50ml lime juice 50ml pineapple juice 6 dashes of absinthe 30ml Giffard passion fruit syrup 20g sugar 20ml Visciolata Cardinale To Serve: Chilled rocks glass Cubed Ice Slice of dried pineapple, to garnish Mint sprig, to garnish Viola flowers, to garnish

Method: Add the rum, lime juice, pineapple juice, absinthe, passion fruit syrup and sugar to a cocktail shaker, and shake well until the ingredients are completely combined. Next, add the cubed ice to the chilled glass, and strain the drink through a Hawthorne strainer and a small fine sieve positioned over the glass. Pour the Visciolata Cardinale over the top of the cocktail gently, so it floats. Finally, garnish with the pineapple, mint and viola flowers.

Chairman's Mai Tai

20ml Chairman’s Reserve Finest 20ml rhum Clément Canne Bleue 10ml Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao 15ml lime juice 20ml of eucalyptus, orgeat & orange peel tincture mint 1 dash of Angostura bitters Garnish: 1 orange wheel

Method:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker, then add ice. Shake well and strain into a glass full of fresh ice.

New York Zombie

40ml Appleton Signature Blend rum 5ml Wray & Nephew overproof rum 5ml Smith & Cross rum, 5ml Luxardo Maraschino 20 ml fresh grapefruit juice 10ml Falernum (home made syrup - recipe below) 10ml grenadine 6ml absinthe Pernod 3ml Angostura bitters cinnamon

Garnish: Lime, sugar cube & fire Method: Add all ingredients, except the Wray & Nephew, to a cocktail shaker, then add ice. Shake until well chilled, then strain into a tiki mug full of fresh ice. To create the garnish, take half of a lime and press out the juice in a citrus squeezer, creating a small cup. Add a sugar cube and gently pour Wray & Nephew onto the sugar. Gently light the cube. When the flame is out the drink is ready to enjoy. Note: the flame is not necessary to enjoy the drink!

Falernum Recipe:

Bring 250g white sugar and 250ml water to the boil with the zests of 10 limes, 8 cloves & 1 star anise. Once boiled, let cool. Add 250ml of white rum and 1.25ml almond essence & let infuse for 24 hours. Strain.

Jaguar at Nightjar Ingredients: 30ml Ron Zacapa 23 with Tiger Nut infusion 15ml Hennessy Fine de Cognac 15ml Ginger liqueur 12ml Pedro Ximinez Sherry 15ml Colombo spiced orgeat Fresh orange & lime 35ml fermented palm drink Method: Shake and strain all the ingredients and top up with palm drink.