The South Florida Rum Guide: What to Drink All Summer Long

If South Florida had an official spirit, it would be rum. It's in our history, our Caribbean roots, our beach bars, and just about every cocktail served within a mile of the ocean. But walk down the rum aisle and the choices can be overwhelming — white, gold, dark, spiced, añejo, overproof. Here's a straightforward guide to what's what, and which bottle to reach for depending on what you're making.

White Rum: The Mojito Workhorse

White (or silver) rum is clean, light, and made for mixing. This is your mojito rum, your daiquiri rum, your piña colada rum. It's typically aged briefly and filtered to remove color, leaving a crisp spirit that lets lime, mint, and sugar do the talking. For big-batch summer drinks, a quality white rum at a good price is the smartest bottle in your cart — and the one to buy in the larger format if you're hosting.

Gold and Dark Rum: Depth and Character

Gold rums spend more time in barrels, picking up caramel, vanilla, and toasted notes. They're the upgrade move in a rum punch and the right call for a Dark 'n' Stormy alongside spicy ginger beer. Dark rums go further still — richer molasses character, deeper barrel influence — and a float of dark rum on top of a Mai Tai or hurricane cocktail is the finishing touch that separates a good tiki drink from a great one.

Spiced rum deserves a mention here too: infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and warm spices, it's a crowd-pleaser with cola and a staple of easygoing beach-day coolers.

Aged and Añejo: Rum for Sipping

Here's the secret whiskey drinkers eventually discover: well-aged rum sips like a fine bourbon or cognac, often at a friendlier price. Rums aged five, seven, twelve years or more develop layers of dried fruit, oak, tobacco, and toffee. Pour one neat or over a single large ice cube after dinner and take your time with it. If you've never tried a quality añejo from Venezuela, Guatemala, Barbados, or the Dominican Republic, you're in for one of the best value discoveries in spirits.

Three Summer Rum Cocktails to Master

The classic mojito: white rum, fresh lime, mint, sugar, soda water — muddle gently, don't pulverize the mint. The daiquiri (the real one): two ounces of white rum, one ounce of fresh lime juice, three-quarters of an ounce of simple syrup, shaken hard with ice. No blender required, no mix needed. And the rum punch for a crowd: gold rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, a squeeze of lime, and a dash of grenadine — batch it in a pitcher and let the afternoon take care of itself.

Find Your Rum in Broward County

Both Discount Liquor King locations carry a deep rum selection — from everyday mixing bottles to aged sippers and hard-to-find Caribbean labels — at discount prices that make trying something new an easy decision. Visit us in Hollywood at 2462 Sheridan St or in Oakland Park at 2160 W Oakland Park Blvd, and ask the staff what they're excited about. If you're hunting for a specific bottle, call ahead — Hollywood at (954) 544-2521 or Oakland Park at (954) 533-7695 — and we'll check the shelf for you.