Try these delicious cocktails ahead of National Rum Day

WITH National Rum Day approaching (Wednesday 16), we’ve got some delicious cocktail recipes for you.

They’ve all got a summery taste to them, which will brighten up even the rainiest of Scottish summer days!

For more summer drinks recipes, visit Waitrose.

Stormy mojo cocktail

Dark rum naturally pairs well with spicy ginger flavours as well as citrus. The fresh mint gives this drink that cool summer aroma, which is important for any dark fum cocktail

Preparation time:5 minutes
Total time:5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

25ml Gosling’s Black Seal Rum
25ml lime juice
5ml agave syrup
100ml ginger beer
Sprig of mint to garnish

Method

1. Mix together the lime juice and agave syrup in a glass. Fill the glass with cubed or crushed ice.

2. Top up with ginger beer. Carefully pour on the rum so it floats in a layer on top of the drink. Garnish with the mint and serve.

Gold Fever sparkling rum cocktail

Preparation time:15 minutes
Total time:15 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ x 25g pack fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
2 limes
1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
3cm piece fresh root ginger, thinly sliced
Ice cubes
250ml golden rum
750ml bottle Appletiser

Method

1. Place the mint and sugar in a large jug and crush lightly with the end of a rolling pin.

2. Squeeze in the juice from one of the limes then thinly slice the remaining lime and add to the jug along with the sliced apple and ginger.

3. Add some ice cubes to the jug followed by the rum and finally the Appletiser. Stir and serve while lightly sparkling.

Cook’s tip

Give your Gold Fever extra bounce by stacking the jug with sliced strawberries before serving.

Raspberry Caipirinha

Preparation time:5 minutes
Cooking time:0 minutes
Total time:5 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

150g raspberries
4 heaped tbsp light brown soft sugar
2 limes, each cut into eight wedges
16 mint leaves, roughly torn, plus extra to serve
plenty of crushed ice
175ml white rum (vodka also works well)

Method

1. Set 12 raspberries aside. Divide the rest among 4 heavy-bottomed tumblers, together with the sugar and lime, and pound with the rounded end of a rolling pin until the juice from the limes and berries has run and is completely mixed with the sugar.

2. Add 4 mint leaves to each glass and give them a quick bash with the rolling pin, then fill the glasses with crushed ice. Pour over the rum and stir until the red juices and alcohol start to mix. Top with the reserved raspberries and some more torn mint leaves. LH

Sicilian summer

Serves: 1

Ingredients

35ml Bacardi Superior Rum
75ml Waitrose Pressed Red Grape Juice
125ml Waitrose Sparkling Sicilian Lemon Refresher
3 red grapes to garnish

Method

1. Pour all of the liquid ingredients into an ice-filled highball glass and stir gently.

2. Garnish with 3 grapes threaded on a cocktail stick.

Spice Island Sunset

You can also serve this as a short drink; just leave out the orange juice and pour over ice.

Ingredients

1½ shots Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
½ shot Disaronno Amaretto Liqueur
2 shots Tropicana Orange Juice
Ice cubes
Wedge of blood orange

Method

Shake the rum, amaretto and orange juice together with the ice. Pour into a tumbler and decorate with a wedge of blood orange.

To Cuba, love Jerez cocktail

A tropical twist on the mojito, this uses pineapple juice and a dash of dry sherry to make it even more flavoursome

Preparation time:5 minutes
Total time:5 minutes
Serves: 1

Ingredients

40ml golden rum
15ml sugar syrup
20ml fresh lime juice
10ml dry sherry, fino or manzanilla
40ml fresh pineapple juice
6 basil leaves, plus a sprig of basil to garnish

Method

1. Place the basil leaves, rum, sugar syrup and lime juice in the glass. Fill half way up with crused ice, pour over the sherry and the pineapple juice and mix well.

2. Top with more crushed ice, garnish with the sprig of basil and serve.