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Rum Sour
A bright, tropical-leaning sour balancing citrus with molasses depth.
Base spirit
Rum
Style
Sour
Glassware
Coupe
Technique
Shake
The Rum Sour highlights how lemon interacts with rum’s molasses, vanilla, and tropical fruit notes. Light rums produce crisp versions while aged rums yield richer, rounder sours. Shaken hard, it pours slightly opaque with a tart, juicy finish. Its structure predates modern tiki, tracing back to early rum punches distilled into simpler sours.
Did you know?
“Wondrich notes that early seafaring rum rations evolved into punch and then into simple sours as bartenders tightened formulas into single-serve cocktails.”
Source:Wondrich Imbibe!; PunchDrink archives
Bartender's Note
Use lightly aged rum for ideal balance of structure and brightness.
Missing a bottle? See smart swaps in Learn.
How to make the Rum Sour
- 1Add rum, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a shaker filled with ice
- 2Shake until well chilled
- 3Strain into a coupe
- 4Garnish with lemon twist and serve
