I’m a fan of the variation, and this drink is just that — a variation of one of the most popular drinks of all time. I’ve always been a rum fan but usually only when diluted with tart or sweet or tonic. The few times I’ve drunk good rum by itself, on the rocks or straight, it has affected me very strongly, and I’ve wound up in drunken situations that can still make me wince if remembered. So, it’s with my strong rum experiences, that I warn you, while tasty, complex, and easily drinkable, I stop after one with a Rum Manhattan. You may not have the same reactions with the cane pulp spirit, so knock yourself out. Here’s a great recipe I recently read in the Washington Post by noted writer and drinker, Jason Wilson.

Here we go –

• 2 oz aged rum (I’m a huge fan of The Appleton Estate Extra 12 year)
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• ½ tsp maraschino liqueur (I use a full tsp; I like the taste)
• 1-2 dashes of orange bitters

Mix above ingredients with plenty of ice in a glass pitcher or mixing glass. Stir till icy cold. Strain up into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel twist.

A variation on the traditional daiquiri, I find this drink a bit more complicated on the taste buds (which ain’t always a good thing, but it’s fun here). With the addition of sweet vermouth, and more importantly in my opinion, the kiss of crème de cacao, the drink elevates itself to more than just a warm weather sipper. If you search for it, you’ll find the extremely slight chocolate wash from the crème de cacao combining with the vermouth almost indescribable, yet sensually apparent. I made my first one just a few days ago, and all who joined me outside on an oddly mild January day fell in love with it.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz light rum
• ½ oz fresh lime juice
• ½ oz sweet vermouth
• 1 tsp grenadine
• 2 tsp crème de cacao

Shake above ingredients in a shaker till cold and strain into a cold cocktail glass. Garnish with a thin lime wheel.

Another one of those “be careful” drinks, the Little Devil is a true oldie but goodie. Its citrus-y enough to go down quickly and easily, but there is an alcohol bite that will haunt you going down and later while you’re slurring. This is a drink that lives up to its name.

Here we go –

• ¾ ounce white rum
• ¾ ounce gin
• ½ ounce lemon juice
• ½ ounce Cointreau

Shake with ice ‘til ice cold. Serve up in a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

I picked up this and the recipe below (Swafford) in the Nov. ‘08 issue of Imbibe. I loved both so much I had to spread the word. It usually stays mild enough around here that mint can still be harvested from my garden, but if it’s too cold in your parts, you’ll need to buy fresh mint at the market. A holiday hi-ball or old fashioned glass only adds to the fun. It’s minty and tangy at the same time with the maple syrup addition. You’re mixing a real festive cocktail here.

Here we go –

• 8-10 mint leaves
• 6-8 cranberries
• 2 oz Aged Rum (Appleton worked great for me)
• ¾ oz Falernum
• ¾ oz limejuice
• ¼ oz simple or maple syrup
• Splash of club soda

In a mixing glass, muddle mint & cranberries, add rest of ingredients. Shake and strain over ice in a glass and garnish with fresh mint.

Here’s another pirate themed drink that I have absolutely no idea how old it is. Like The Buccaneer, the Jolly Roger leans toward the sweet side, making it a perfect libation for the ladies or friends that prefer that “yummy” factor in their cocktails. This is an easy drink to make with a slight tropical flair, calling for no blenders or fresh fruit.

Here we go –

• 1 oz Dark Rum
• 1 oz Banana Liqueur
• 2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, pour everything, ice and all, into a rocks glass.

Delicious drink here. This one’s strong but the slight addition of pineapple juice bonds the belt in a mellow sweetness. This is a pretty cocktail that glows in Autumn colors, making it a sure fire pick for next year’s Halloween Drinks List. I would also recommend this one for anytime in the fall. It’s a rum based cocktail that doesn’t feel tropical at all.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz Gold Rum
• ¼ oz Dark Rum
• ¼ oz Apricot Brandy
• ¾ oz Pineapple Juice

Shake ingredients in a shaker with ice, strain into cocktail glass.

One of the few cocktails I’ve come across named specifically for a Spirit brand. Apparently there was an older version of this cocktail which didn’t call for Bacardi Rum, but when the drink made the jump to the States, a bar bible called Recipes For Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin called for the specific brand in 1917. It’s a tangy, quick to make pick-me-up that I find refreshing.

Here we go –

• ¾ oz lime juice
• tsp. Powdered sugar
• 1 ¾ oz Bacardi White Rum
• couple dashes grenadine

Shake ‘til freezing in a shaker with ice, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with a lime slice.

I made one of these once and a boozy Halloween party and it was the hit of the evening. I highly recommend that you set it up outdoors if using a real pumpkin. They look beautiful and work well as a bowl but … pumpkins leak; I found that one out the hard way the next a.m.. Mopping up a floor covered with sticky Halloween punch while suffering a hangover is not the way to kick off November.

Here we go -

• Half Gallon Apple Cider
• Close to a fifth of dark or gold Rum
• 3 regular or one large bottle(s) of Ginger Beer
• One med-sized, hollowed out, pumpkin

Close to party time, fill your hollowed out pumpkin or pumpkin punch bowl with the cider, rum and ginger beer, stir and add a frozen block of ice to keep things cold. Have your guests ladle the punch into punch cups.

While usually considered a tropical cooler, this summer classic can and should be dusted off the week around Halloween. It’s all about the name, and drinking a Zombie while watching a zombie tare the guts out of some poor unfortunate in an old movie is just too fun an experience to pass on. This drink does call for an assortment of rums so plan ahead.

Here we go –

• ¾ oz 90 proof Rum
• 1 ½ oz Gold Rum
• ¾ oz Light or White Rum
• ¾ oz pineapple juice
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tsp super fine sugar
• 1 tablespoon 151 proof Rum

Mix al the ingredients except the 151 rum in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake ‘til cold and pour it all into a tall (hopefully Halloween appropriate) glass or mug. Float the 151 rum on top by softly pouring it over the back of a spoon slightly above the drink. Dust the drink with powdered sugar and turn on a zombie movie.

One of the few “modern cocktails” I’m including, this is a tasty, fun drink to enjoy while celebrating Halloween. This recipe comes from the Red Brick Tavern in Lafayette, Ohio where the ghost of a scorned young woman is said to roam the bar.

Here we go –

• 2 oz of mixed Cranberry and Pineapple juices
• 2 oz 7-Up soda
• 1 ½ oz Malibu, coconut Rum

Mix the 7-up and juices in a double old-fashioned glass with ice. Pour the rum down the inside of the glass right before serving.

I always order a Suffering Bastard when I go to a Chinese restaurant; it’s a personal tradition. Last summer, I decided to mix up a batch at home and discovered that a real one tastes nothing at all like what they’re pouring down at The Dancing Dragon. Not to knock Mr. Pong’s skills, but a from-scratch Bastard is so much more refreshing than the sweet, lord-knows-what’s-in-it drink I’d been gulping down with my fried rice. At home, you’ll find a complex cocktail that’s perfect in the evening with some fiery jazz and some good pals gathered. Suffer away, it’s worth it.

Here we go –

• 1 ½ oz white Rum
• 1 ½ oz dark Rum
• 2 tbsp orange Curacao
• ½ tsp powdered sugar
• 1 oz fresh lime juice

Pour above ingredients into shaker and shake ‘til freezing cold. You can choose to strain into a chilled cocktail glass or pour everything into a chilled Collins glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice and/or lemon or orange peel.