Choosing the best dark rum for pina colada recipes is no easy task. There are so many subtle flavors and differences that make each rum unique.
The rum you choose will always influence your drink’s outcome, and choosing a dark rum will put a nice twist on this classic.
Everyone has different tastes, so there is no one perfect rum, but these are some of the best dark rums to choose from to make this fun tropical beverage.
Myers’s Jamaican Rum
Myers is one of the most recognizable dark rums in the world. It is a versatile spirit that can easily be mixed or sipped on straight up.
While it will change up the flavor profile a little, Myer’s is a fantastic dark rum for pina Coladas because of its slightly sweet, caramel flavor.
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
The name is a mouthful, but you’ll be happy when it’s in your mouth. This rum is made from molasses distilled in copper pots.
It has a syrupy flavor with notes of caramel and fruit, making in the perfect sweet addition to a pina colada.
Gosling’s Black Seal
When a company hasn’t changed its ways for 150 years, they must be doing something right. That is how long Gosling’s has been making their dark rum using copper and continuous stills.
Their process gives the rum a clean finish with distinct vanilla and sweet fruit flavors that perfectly compliment an island drink.
Captain Morgan Private Stock
Not to be confused with arguably the most famous rum on the planet, this is a top-shelf rum from the company. This rum is so smooth that it can be appreciated straight up.
What makes it a great addition to a pina colada is the secret spices and vanilla flavor that give it its unique taste and sweetness.
Zacapa 23
This Guatemalan rum shows what you get with meticulous standards. Each bottle is made 2,300 feet above sea level and aged between six and twenty-three years.
Notes of raisins and baking spices turn your tropical pina colada into a warm, spiced drink that can be enjoyed in the winter months.
Jonah’s Curse
Jonah’s Curse would be the perfect dark rum for your pina colada if it weren’t for the high alcohol volume.
At 94 proof, this rum packs a punch, but with notes of pineapple, mango, and banana, it is easy to see why this dark rum fits right in.
Read Also: How to Make a Mojito Without Mint and Best Blender for Mixed Drinks
Ableforth’s Rumbellion!
First of all, the bottle itself is enough to keep one on your shelf. It is sweet rum with a flavor profile that is all over the place. You will taste notes of cola, clove, and honey in this pretty unique rum.
What makes this one of the best dark rums for pina colada is the notable orange flavor that plays right into the drink’s tropical taste.
Plantation Original Dark
Plantation has an incredibly involved aging process, but the end result makes it all worth it. It is first aged ten to fifteen years in Jamaica, then another one to three years in Barbados. It is then transferred to France to be blended and aged in wood vats for another three to six months.
It has a plethora of flavors, from pepper and cinnamon to more pina colada flavored white raisin and pineapple.
El Dorado 12-Year-Old Rum
El Dorado is the perfect rum for someone looking to try dark rum in their pina colada. The twelve-year aging process makes it a smooth rum that can be enjoyed over ice or mixed in a cocktail.
By all accounts, it is a pretty straight-forward rum with notes of cinnamon and vanilla that add a sweetness to your coconut beverage.
Ten to One Dark Rum
This Frankenstein dark rum is a mix of Caribbean rums that brings the best of Barbados, Trinidad, and The Dominican Republic. Thanks to its origins, it has a bevy of notes that make it the perfect pina colada addition.
The company prides itself on having no additives, purely rum.
How to Make a Pina Colada
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. cream of coconut
- 2 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 ½ oz. light rum
- 2 cups Ice
- ½ oz. dark rum
- Pineapple for garnish
Recipe:
Combine the cream of coconut, pineapple juice, light rum, and ice in a blender and blend. Pour the mixture into a glass and top with dark rum. Garnish with pineapple.
Janelle Rogers
As an organic chemist, Janelle always preferred her drinks pure, like bottled water from the Pyrenees. That is, until a jazz saxophonist blew the doors of her taste buds wide open by introducing her to the joys of cocktails. When not tinkering with new blends, Janelle is runs a classified black-ops department of the NIH.