The combination of flavors in this blackberry pineapple rum cocktail brings to mind tropical vibes and summertime fun.
This is my unintentional tiki cocktail and I’m absolutely smitten with it.
While it may be too early to call this drink my summer cocktail of 2017, I’m certain this blackberry pineapple rum cocktail is THE ONE.
Summer 2016 revolved around my fascination with cocktail floats: cucumber gin and tonic float, greyhound cocktail float, watermelon margarita float, and blueberry mojito float.
This year I’m exploring rum.
Let’s kick off Memorial Day weekend (and the unofficial start of summer) with this blackberry pineapple rum cocktail!
Blackberry Rum Cocktail
This cocktail gets its beautiful deep red-purplish hue from blackberry syrup.
Blackberry syrup is this wonderfully luxurious mixture of cooked blackberries, water, and sugar that makes everything taste better.
(Use to blackberry syrup to make these blackberry swirl pineapple popsicles!)
This method works for pretty much any soft fruit.
Once stone fruits make their summer appearance, I’ll definitely be making apricot syrup, peach syrup, and plum syrup!
Recommended Rum for Cocktail Making
For this particular cocktail, I suggest using Mount Gay Rum‘s Eclipse.
Eclipse (dark rum) is my favorite for making cocktails.
It is quite fragrant and smells like warm vanilla beans. It’s great for cocktails because it adds a nice rounded sweetness to drinks.
(Best of all, Mount Gay Rum is widely available in the US. The bottle photographed above has a different label than what you’ll find in stores. I have an older version. They recently rebranded their labels.)
During my early 20’s I went to Barbados and visited the Mount Gay Rum distillery.
It’s supposedly the oldest existing brand of rum.
After sampling all their varieties, I bought one of each and I’ve been a fan of their rums ever since.
This cocktail runs smooth and drinks like a punch. It’s lively, refreshing, and not very sweet.
However, if you like your drinks on the sweeter side, you can add a little bit more blackberry syrup to taste.
For me, the combination of pineapple juice, lime juice, and rum immediately gives this cocktail a tropical-tiki feel.
Put on some music, clean off your patio furniture, and lounge about with this cocktail in hand.
Summer is here!
Make A Large Batch Pineapple Rum Punch
Easily scale this blackberry rum punch to serve a large crowd.
To make a punch bowl serving for 12 people, combine:
- 18 oz dark rum
- 6 oz orange liqueur
- 9 oz blackberry syrup
- 6 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
- 12 oz pineapple juice
Mix together ahead of time. Store in a covered pitcher in the fridge until ready to use.
Blackberry Pineapple Rum Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz dark rum
- ½ oz Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur
- ¾ oz blackberry syrup, recipe follows
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- 1 oz pineapple juice
Blackberry Syrup:
- 6 oz fresh blackberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Add ice to mixing glass. Pour in dark rum, Grand Marnier, blackberry syrup, lime juice, and pineapple juice. Stir until mixture is cold. Strain cocktail into a serving glass with a big ice cube. Garnish with fresh mint, blackberries, and a slice of lime.
- To make blackberry syrup: Place fresh blackberries, sugar, and water in a small sauce pot. Set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Use a muddler or fork to break up the blackberries. Allow mixture to cool before straining. Keep in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.All images and text ©The Little Epicurean
Notes
- I suggest using Mount Gay Rum Eclipse. It’s great for cocktails because it adds a nice rounded sweetness. It is a fragrant rum that smells like warm vanilla beans.
- The method for making blackberry syrup works with any soft fruit such as apricot, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
P.S. I use these silicon ice molds from Amazon. I love it because it’s dishwasher safe and has a lid to prevent any unwanted freezer flavors affecting the ice.
This drink looks to die for! Cannot wait to sip on this over the weekend!
This looks so good! I wouldn’t have though tot put these flavors together but they work !
It’s a tasty combo of flavors!
Thanks for sharing! How far ahead of time can I make it?
You can make the syrup up to two weeks in advance and mix the cocktail together a day before serving
Love you! You do inspire me a lot! Though I haven’t tried any of your recipe but it just gives me so much joy of seeing your recipe💞