Coquito is a traditional cocktail similar to eggnog. It is typically prepared and consumed during the festive Christmas season. The cocktail is made with a combination of coconut milk, rum, condensed milk, and vanilla, although every family has their own variation.

In order to prepare it, all ingredients should be blended, then chilled and served in small glasses. It is recommended to garnish coquito with nutmeg on top. The name of this drink means little coconut. In Cuba, they serve it with scoops of coconut ice cream, while the Spanish people serve it with turron.

Sugary, refreshing, and herbaceous, Mojito is a traditional cocktail based on rum as the key ingredient. It has a relatively low alcohol content (about 10%). Although Havana is considered its birthplace, the origin of this simple cocktail is still disputed.

The original Cuban cocktail recipe includes white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and spearmint yerba buena that grows on the island, but almost every mint variety can be used in the mix if yerba buena is not available. The components of the cocktail are added in a particular order: sugar and lime juice are gently mashed before mint and rum are added to the combination; the cocktail is then briefly stirred and topped with ice and sparkling soda water. 

Daiquiri is a group of cocktails prepared with rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar as the key ingredients. Supposedly, it was invented in the late 19th century by Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer who was staying in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

The cocktail was named after the beach and an iron mine near Santiago de Cuba. The drink was probably introduced to high-class New Yorkers in 1902 by a US congressman who purchased the Santiago iron mines, but it gained fame during World War II when trade and travel relations with Latin America opened up due to Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor policy, so Latin America became fashionable. 

Dark rum is probably the most complex and confusing rum category. The term is often differently explained, but it is mostly used to classify longer-aged rum styles with more pronounced flavors. Although the color is primarily attained from long-term aging in charred sherry or bourbon barrel, it can also be obtained from different distillation techniques, longer contact with molasses, and the addition of caramel.

To add to the confusion, the term dark rum is sometimes used to distinguish it for clear, white rum or to denote Demerara rum from Guyana. Good-quality dark rum can be appreciated neat, but it is also used in cocktails to provide a somewhat heavier element and more flavor.

Rum Punch is a classic Caribbean cocktail made with rum, fruit juice, sugar syrup, and water. To prepare it, all you need to do is remember this Caribbean saying: “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, and four of weak.” A shot of fruit juice, two shots of sugar syrup, three shots of rum, and four shots of water are combined in a big glass or a jug, then poured into a glass over ice.

It is recommended to add a few drops of bitters or some freshly grated nutmeg to elevate the flavors even further. Garnish it with a pineapple wedge for the best possible experience.

Frozen daiquiri is a variation of a classic shaken daiquiri, which typically incorporates rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar. This frozen version is mostly blended and usually includes pulverized ice and frozen fruit to mix, creating a sweet slurry with a texture similar to a slushie.

Frozen daiquiris probably first appeared at the legendary El Floridita in Havana, sometime around the time of Prohibition. They were initially made with crushed ice and electric blenders, but their popularity skyrocketed in the second half of the 20th century after the invention of commercial machines. 

Cuba Libre is a Cuban cocktail based on rum, with the addition of cola and lime. In Spanish, its name means Free Cuba, and although the exact origin of this cocktail is still a mystery, it was probably first mixed in Havana in August 1900, after the Spanish-American war, when Coca-Cola was available in Cuba.

In the past, the cocktail was viewed as exotic, but nowadays it is popular throughout the world, and it is often referred to as Rum and Coke. A common way to serve it is on the rocks with a lime wheel, but some variations (such as Rum and Coke) exclude the lime wheel or substitute white rum with golden or dark rum.

Coconut rum is a somewhat misleading term that mostly refers to coconut-flavored liqueurs typically based on rum. These liqueurs can have natural or artificial coconut flavors and aromas, while the base is usually made with white or gold rum.

They typically do not have high alcohol content. Coconut-flavored rums are internationally produced, but their spiritual home remains on the Caribbean islands. Their light and aromatic character is best showcased in tropical cocktails.

Rum is an alcoholic beverage distilled from fermented sugarcane juice, molasses, syrup, or any other sugarcane by-products, although most of what we know as rum is made from molasses. Nowadays, most rum comes from the Caribbean, and the region is often dubbed as its spiritual home.

Caribbean rums can significantly differ in character, mostly due to different practices adopted through history, which influenced distillation, blending, and aging techniques. Most islands have their signature styles, such as dark and complex Jamaican rum or clean, white rums from Puerto Rico.