Easy Rum Lemonade
Our Easy Rum Lemonade is so refreshing and perfect for a warm summer day. This thirst quenching libation just hits the spot! Fresh lemonade, mixed with our favorite dark rum, and some fresh mint, makes this drink a bit more interesting than usual rum lemonade.
This recipe is so easy and quite flexible. You can use your favorite light or dark rum, homemade lemonade or store bought, and if you don’t like mint, just omit it! It will still be a fun beverage that everyone will enjoy. Read more about this cocktail in our Blog Comments & Tips.
Sign up for a free subscription to our monthly newsletter and access to exclusive content.
To browse some of our favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and pantry items, visit our Recommended Products page.
RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
Recipe updated as of 3/24/22
EASY RUM LEMONADE
Ingredients
Instructions
- With a juicer, squeeze 2 ounces fresh lemon juice and add to a large measuring cup. Add 2 tablespoons ultrafine sugar (see Note #1 below) and with a long mixing spoon, stir well until sugar is completely dissolved. Add 5 ounces filtered water and stir.
- Add 2 ounces dark rum (we like Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva) to all the lemonade (see Note #2 below), and stir to combine.
- Directly over the rum lemonade mixture, slap each fresh mint leaf (Yes, slap! This releases the essence and oils of the mint.), and drop all 4 fresh mint leaves into the mixture, then stir it all together.
- Place about 1 to 1½ cups of ice cubes into a tall glass (16 to 18 ounce tumbler). Pour rum lemonade over the ice and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint, and serve.
Notes
- Sugar Substitutions: In place of ultrafine sugar, you can use 1 ½ tablespoons of agave nectar or Honey Simple Syrup. Increase or decrease sweetener to taste.
- Lemonade Substitutions: Although we always recommend fresh lemonade, there are great store bought substitutions for fresh squeezed available now. This makes it especially easy to prepare this recipe for a crowd. Just omit the first three ingredients of our Lemonade recipe above, and replace with 7 ounces of store bought lemonade. We like Simply Lemonade, or Trader Joe’s Fresh Squeezed Lemonade. Keep in mind that store bought lemonades contain much more sugar, so this cocktail will turn out much sweeter than our homemade recipe.
- To keep your drink colder a little longer, try a frozen lemon slice garnish. Visit our Tips & Tricks page (Tip #2 - How to Freeze Citrus Fruit).
- Recipe can be made ahead of time. This is a great recipe for a crowd. Just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you need. Then combine all ingredients (except ice cubes) in a pitcher, stir well, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, just give the mixture another stir, add ice cubes to each glass, and pour into glasses, garnish, and serve!
- Yields 1 serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
239.34Fat (grams)
0.27Sat. Fat (grams)
0.03Carbs (grams)
28.56Fiber (grams)
0.57Net carbs
27.99Sugar (grams)
25.38Protein (grams)
0.39Sodium (milligrams)
12.82Cholesterol (grams)
0Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin.
LEMONADE
STEP 1
a) With a juicer squeeze 2 ounces fresh lemon juice and add to a large measuring cup.
b) Add 2 tablespoons superfine sugar (see Note below) and with a long mixing spoon, stir well until sugar is completely dissolved.
c) Add 5 ounces filtered water and stir.
Sugar Substitutions: In place of superfine sugar, you can use 1 ½ tablespoons of agave or Honey Simple Syrup. Increase or decrease sweetener to taste.
COCKTAIL
STEP 1
Add 2 ounces dark rum (we like Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva) to the lemonade, and stir to combine.
Note: See #1 in Notes section below for store bought lemonade substitution options.
STEP 2
a) Rinse and gently pat dry 4 fresh mint leaves. Directly over the rum lemonade mixture, place one leaf in the palm of your hand and give it a good slap (Yes, a slap! This releases the essence and oils of the mint.).
b) Then drop the mint leaf into the cocktail mixture. Repeat for each fresh mint leaf, and then stir it all together.
STEP 3
a) Place about 1 to 1½ cups of ice cubes into a tall glass (16 to 18 ounce tumbler).
b) Pour rum lemonade over the ice and stir.
Serving Suggestion
Garnish with a lemon slice and a sprig of mint, and serve.
Note: To keep your drink colder a little longer, try a frozen lemon slice garnish. Visit our Tips & Tricks page (Tip #2 - How to Freeze Citrus Fruit).
Notes:
Lemonade Substitutions: Although we always recommend fresh lemonade, there are great store bought substitutions for fresh squeezed available now. This makes it especially easy to prepare this recipe for a crowd. Just replace the first three ingredients with 7 ounces of store bought lemonade. We like Simply Lemonade, or Trader Joe’s Fresh Squeezed Lemonade. Keep in mind that store bought lemonades contain much more sugar, so this cocktail will turn out much sweeter than our homemade recipe.
Recipe can be made ahead of time and this is a great recipe for a crowd. Just multiply the ingredients by the number of servings you need. Then combine all ingredients (except ice cubes) in a pitcher, stir well, cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, just give the mixture another stir, add ice cubes to each glass, and pour into glasses, garnish, and serve!
See our Blog Comments & Tips section below for more tips.
Blog Comments & Tips
This is not your average lemonade!
Like many of our other cocktails, our Easy Rum Lemonade recipe is not too sweet, quite refreshing, and has that little something to make it a bit unique. Just 5 ingredients make this drink very easy to make for one, and a great make ahead cocktail recipe for a crowd when entertaining.
If you are going to make this for a crowd and don’t want to spend a lot of time squeezing lemons when you are getting ready to entertain, then just use store bought lemonade. We promise you, this drink will come together so quickly, it will make your head spin! For the store bought version, we prefer Simply Lemonade, which you can get at most stores nationwide. Or, if you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s store near you, then their Fresh Squeezed Lemonade is wonderful!
If you have been browsing through our recipes, you probably already know that we love to use fresh ingredients. Also, I tend to lean towards the not so sweet cocktails. This easy rum lemonade recipe is a great happy medium for those that like sweet cocktails, and those that don’t. Best of all, this thirst quenching libation just hits the spot on a warm day!
Fresh lemonade, mixed with our favorite dark rum, and some fresh mint, makes this drink a bit more interesting than usual rum lemonade. We may have some naysayers out there, but we encourage you to try it. Using a good quality dark rum really gives this drink a slightly sweeter flavor, with notes of caramel and honey. Paired with fresh lemon juice and mint, the dark rum gives this drink a more exotic feel than the typical rum lemonade.
We used Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva Añejo Rum, which has been aged a minimum of 12 years. This rum is made in Venezuela and to be honest, it’s really more of a sipping rum and is fabulous on its own. However, we love the smooth, creamy texture and flavor of this rum, which results in more depth of flavor in our cocktail. As you probably already know, our cooking mantra is “to get the best results, always use fresh and high quality ingredients.” This rule also applies to alcohol that we use for mixed drinks.
Now if you prefer light rum, then by all means, please use your favorite white rum in place of the dark. It will produce a cleaner and lighter flavor that will still be very enjoyable to drink.
How do you ensure the best results from our recipe?
Our 3 tips to making this refreshing Easy Rum Lemonade:
Fresh and high quality ingredients. If you are lucky enough to have a lemon tree, then use them!
To keep your drink colder a little longer, use frozen lemon slices, which will help keep your drink extra cold. Visit our Tips & Tricks page (Tip #2 - How to Freeze Citrus Fruit).
Whether it be aged dark rum, or white rum, please use your favorite rum. Because every palate is a little different, this will ensure the drink is exactly to your liking.
Below are a few ways to Pimp Our Recipe.
Pimp Our Recipe:
Make it Sweeter: Just add more superfine sugar, agave nectar, or Honey Simple Syrup. Taste test the lemonade before adding the rum and mint. If you prefer it sweeter, then just add more to taste. Try adding a ½ tablespoon at a time, per serving. Using store bought lemonade will automatically make it sweeter. Additionally, using dark rum will add to the sweetness of this drink.
Make it Less Sweet: Because aging brings out the sugar in the rum, it will be naturally sweeter than a light rum. So if you are using white rum in this recipe, you may want to sweeten it up a bit.
Make it Lighter: You can do one of two things:
1) Use more lemonade (about 8 ounces per serving), or more to taste.
2) Reduce the amount of rum to 1½ ounces per serving.
Don’t Like Mint: Just omit the fresh mint. It’s not necessary for the cocktail, but does add a unique hint of freshness to this cocktail.
Make it Super Quick and Easy: Replace homemade lemonade with 7 ounces of store bought lemonade, per serving.
Make it Skinny: In place of sugar, use the same amount of Truvia or stevia.
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment and rating, and/or following, and liking us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Every editorial product is independently selected. We may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you purchase products via our links. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
