Why Do Bars Use 3 Rums In Cocktails Versus One?

If you've ever watched your bartender whip up a tiki drink or other sophisticated rum cocktail, you may have noticed something distinctive. It's not unusual to see multiple types of rum combined in a single cocktail. It's not just about amping up the strength of the drink; experts say it's the ideal way to create layers of complexity.

Our sister site Tasting Table spoke about the matter with Cody Nicoll, a sommelier, mixologist, and owner of Hospitable Nicoll. Also a co-owner Bar Ocelli and managing partner of Ember Live Fire Kitchen, he clearly knows a thing or two about how to craft a cocktail. Nicoll's explanation largely boiled down to "leveraging complementary tasting notes that come from different styles of rum." Casual drinkers may not be aware of the significant diversity within this category of spirits. However, there are many kinds of rum that boast different strengths. Some examples include milder white varieties, robust gold or dark rums, and spiced versions. There's even a unique, sugarcane-based Rhum Agricole known for grassier tones.

When creating a blend within a cocktail, Nicoll focuses on the primary ingredient of the rums (such as molasses vs. cane sugar), as well as the distillation and aging methods, both of which can strongly influence the flavor. He notes the diversity of these different types is precisely what allows them to be mixed so effectively, pointing out that "Spanish, English, and French styles of rum can all have very different tasting notes." This presents the opportunity to create a rich and nuanced base to drinks before any mixers or other additions come into play.

A number of notable cocktails are designed with rum mixing in mind. For example, the aptly named Zombie is generally made with Jamaican dark rum, gold Puerto Rican rum, and Demerara rum (a unique style known for its earthy sweetness, due to its molasses base). They add up to around 4 ounces of booze, substantially more than what many mixed drinks contain. A similar three-rum mixture in slightly reduced proportions powers the classic Navy Grog cocktail. However, the famous Mai Tai sticks to two varieties, dark and white.

Although leaning into variety is a critical piece of improving your cocktail game, it's far from the only expert advice for making rum drinks. It's important to do a bit of research into any potential new rum you're adding to your collection, particularly its origin and how it was produced. This can help in generating ideas for drink flavor profiles and mixers to use, as these styles were often developed to complement local ingredients. It'll also better inform your blending process, which will help make your craft cocktails crafty.