Rum Old Fashioned

This Rum Old Fashioned is a fun twist on the classic bourbon old fashioned. Smooth aged rum is the perfect compliment to the orange bitters and fresh orange peel.

This post is sponsored by Flor de Caña Rum. All opinions are my own.

I recently had the opportunity to attend The Fresh Air Retreat in Austin, Texas. This retreat was a fantastic way for food bloggers and content creators to connect with each other and food brands. We also got to check out the city of Austin in our down time.

To start the week we had an informative and interactive session about Slickstream and the business of blogging with Raptive.

That afternoon we had a fantastic knife skills session with Zwilling and got to learn all about their new Fresh & Save Collection which offers amazing vacuum seal technology. I have since transferred all of my dry baking goods to Fresh & Save cubes to keep them sealed between uses!

The next day we participated in a high energy dance cardio class powdered by Dave’s Killer Bread snack bars. The snack bars have the killer taste you’ve come to know from Dave’s Killer Bread products, but in a convenient, on-the-go package!

For lunch one day we got to experience the versatility of Envy Apples with a 4 course meal. Envy apples have a satisfying crunch, beautiful appearance, balanced sweetness and an uplifting aroma. They are pretty much the perfect apple!

On the last night Flor de Caña treated us to a rum tasting and cocktail making class. It was so interesting to learn about this family owned business from Nicaragua and learn all about their delicious rum.

When I got home from the retreat I picked up a bottle of their decadent 12 year aged rum. I used that to develop this Rum Old Fashioned recipe in partnership with Flor de Caña.

What makes Flor De Caña rum different

Flor de Caña 12 year aged rum is the perfect choice for this rum old fashioned thanks to its deep and exceptionally smooth taste.

• No artificial ingredients or added sugar – this rum is not like the sticky, sweet coconut rum you might remember from college. This sugar free rum is rich in flavor, but will not produce a nasty hangover.
• Aged in Bourbon Barrels – Flor de Caña makes rum for every occasion. Their aged rum is perfect for an old fashioned thanks to the smooth and rich flavor that comes from aging it in bourbon barrels. I like to use the 12 year aged rum for this recipe.
• 5th Generation Family Business – Flor de Caña has been family owned and operated for over 130 years! This is so impressive and is evident in the care they put into their rum.
• Carbon Neutral Certified – Flor de Caña was named “World’s Most Sustainable Rum Brand” thanks to their dedication to sustainability. They distill their rum with 100% renewable energy and have planted 1 million trees since 2005 in partnership with One Tree Planted.

serving suggestions

This sophisticated cocktail is perfect for happy hour. I like to have friends over around the holidays and make a big holiday cheese board to serve with a round of rum old fashioned cocktails.

Make these for date night and serve them with crostini and stuffed mushroom dip. This smooth, rich and flavorful cocktail pairs wonderfully with the cozy dip.

Ingredients

• Flor de Caña’s 12 year aged rum
• Demerara syrup or simple syrup
• Angostura orange bitters
• Peel from a fresh naval orange

What is demerara syrup?

Demerara syrup is a sugar syrup that you make with demerara sugar instead of white granulated sugar. The result is a simple syrup that is darker in color and deeper in flavor.

Make demerara syrup by combining 1 cup demerara sugar and 1 cup water in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat stirring constantly until all of the sugar crystals dissolve and the mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat and cool completely. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Ingredient substitutions

I like to use orange bitters for this recipe because they nicely compliment the smooth and rich aged rum. You can use any kind of bitters that you like. I love standard angostura bitters as well as lemon bitters.

If you don’t have a demerara syrup or simple syrup, mix 2 tsp granulated sugar with 2 tsp water and the bitters before adding ice and mixing in the rum.

How to make a rum old fashioned

Step 1: Sift cocoa powder and sugar

To begin, fill a large glass or small pitcher with ice. Then, pour the rum, demerara or simple syrup, and bitters into the glass.

Stir the ingredients with the ice using a long cocktail spoon. You want to stir several times to make sure everything is evenly combined and chilled.

Step 2: Pour over fresh ice and garnish

Place fresh ice or one large ice cube in each of 2 cocktail glasses. Use a strainer to pour the cocktail over the fresh ice leaving the old ice behind in the pitcher.

Finally, twist the orange peel to express the oils over the cocktail and then place the orange in the glass. Garnish with dark maraschino cherries and serve.

Fresh Air Retreat Attendees

The best part of attending the Fresh Air Retreat was meeting the other bloggers. I work in an industry where there can sometimes be more competition than camaraderie, but that was not the case at this retreat.

Each woman is a powerhouse in her own way and each had something new to share with the group. I feel so lucky to have had the time to get to know them and keep in touch after the retreat.

Liz from The Lemon Bowl and Lauren from The Curious Plate host the retreat. The other attendees included Addison from Organically Addison, Mary from Mary’s Whole Life, Juli from PaleOMG, Christina from The Whole Cook, Cassy from Fed and Fit, and Zainab from A Classic Twist.

Check out these other delicious cocktail recipes

• Cranberry Kentucky Mule
• Apple Cider Sangria
• Pomegranate Margarita
• Easy Frose Recipe

You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!

Images of the Fresh Air Retreat by Amanda Kamppinen.

Recipe

Rum Old Fashioned

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Make a spin on the classic old fashioned by using aged rum

Recipe By: Madeline

Prep: 5 minutesCook: 5 minutesTotal: 10 minutes

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Servings: 2 cocktails 1x

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Ingredients

• 4 oz rum – I recommend Flor de Caña 12 Year Aged Rum
• 2 tsp demerara syrup or simple syrup
• 4 dashes orange angostura bitters
• 2 orange peels
• Optional – dark maraschino cherries

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Instructions

1. Fill a large glass or small pitcher with ice.
2. Pour the rum, demerara or simple syrup, and bitters into the glass. Stir with the ice – you want to stir several times to make sure everything is evenly combined and chilled
3. Place fresh ice or one large ice cube in each of 2 cocktail glasses. Use a strainer to pour the cocktail over the fresh ice leaving the old ice behind in the pitcher.
4. Twist the orange peel to express the oils over the cocktail and then place the orange in the glass. Garnish with dark maraschino cherries and serve.

Notes

• If you don’t have a demerara syrup or simple syrup, mix 2 tsp granulated sugar with 2 tsp water and the bitters before adding ice and mixing in the rum

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.