3 Delicious Cocktails to Get in the Spirit of National Rum Day

Fancy slinging a few cocktails to celebrate National Rum Day? Diplomático and Box Bar have joined forces to bring you a curated (and delicious) DIY cocktail kit starring one of the finest rums around.

There’s no better time to get your mix on than this year’s National Rum Day, landing on August 16th.

With this annual celebration just around the corner, some of the biggest names in spirits are gearing up for a smashing good time. Diplomático has partnered with Box Bar, Australia’s first fully-online bar, to create the perfect bespoke celebratory package for the day, The Exclusiva Exclusive cocktail kit.

Stacked out with garnish, spirits and mixers for three delicious cocktails, this cocktail kit gives you all you need to celebrate the rich history of rum in DIY style.

What’s more, each box comes with a ticket to the upcoming Diplomático X Box Bar masterclass where you’ll get expert instruction from the mix masters on how to make the most of your cocktail kit.

Keep reading for a look at the history of rum cocktails and how you can get your hands on a DIY kit for this National Rum Day.

What is National Rum Day?

Rum is certainly worthy of a day all to itself. Aside from being completely delicious, rich and super versatile, it’s a spirit steeped in histories both sweet and bitter.

Today, National Rum Day takes its cues partly from the Prohibition era of the United States, where rum was so often the drink of choice in the less-than-legal hidden liquor dens known as speakeasies.

During this time, high-quality spirits weren’t exactly easy to come by in the US, for obvious reasons. And while this put genuine rum in very high demand, it also gave rise to a plethora of ‘bathtub’ producers, who churned out some good, some bad and some downright poisonous rum.

With such an unreliable supply of spirits flowing into these bars, fruits, soda and other strongly-flavoured mixers were commonly used to make poor-quality spirits palatable. Soon, old cocktails like the Daiquiri, rum sour, rum punch and others were topping menus all over the clandestine swill circuits of the country.

And since these classic rum cocktails saw enthusiastic drinkers and bartenders through such a hard time, it’s no wonder that we still love to drink and celebrate with them today!

What’s in the Kit?

Diplomático and Box Bar’s deliciously bespoke kit draws on the spirit of these simple classic cocktails from the history of rum. They’ve packed in all the ingredients you need to make a trio of tasty tipples (recipes below) and celebrate the fantastic range of the spirit.

The box features two 50 mL bottles of Reserva Exclusiva, Diplomático’s much-loved flagship product. This silk-smooth dark golden rum carries intense fragrances of orange, fruit cake and banana and brings a chocolate and fudge fullness alongside rich spices to the palate.

But if you can resist gulping this fragrant masterpiece, you’ll get the chance to discover its worth as a cracking cocktail base. Its complexity and versatility make it the perfect backbone for a wide range of cocktails.

The supporting act to this renowned sipper is another 50 mL bottle of the extra-aged Mantuano. This speciality rum exudes aromas of coffee, caramel and black cherries at first whiff while hitting the palate with vanilla, banana and a malted richness.

Just like the flagship rum, the Mantuano is also a wonderfully diverse drop but shines especially bright in soda-fuelled highballs and fully flavoured cocktails.

Backing up these incredible rums is a small bottle of dry curaçao, a 250mL bottle of Capi Dry Ginger ale, lime juice and Angostura bitters. The box also comes with a brown sugar cube and white sugar to sweeten the cocktails, as well as a handful of garnishes, including orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and dried apple.

What is the Diplomático and Box Bar Virtual Masterclass?

The Exclusiva Exclusive comes with an invitation to an engaging and informative virtual masterclass hosted by Diplomático and Box Bar. You’ll get to hear directly from the rum maker’s brand ambassador and renowned cocktail bartender, Sai Hamsala, who will show you around the kit and fill you in on some of the fascinating histories behind Diplomático.

You won’t just learn how to craft your trio of cocktails, however. Hamsala will also impart some tips on how best to enjoy premium-quality rums of all kinds, whether you prefer to mix them up, into fancy cocktails, throw in a splash of soda or sip them neat.

The first Exclusiva Exclusive masterclass is being held on August 16th, National Rum Day, followed by two more scheduled for August 20th and 27th.

The Cocktails

3 rum cocktails and a bottle of Diplomático rum — Image courtesy of Diplomático

Old Fashioned

50 mL Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 brown sugar cube
Orange peel for garnish

Sidecar

50 mL Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
13 mL dry curaçao
17 mL lime juice
White sugar for garnish

High Ball

50 mL Diplomático Mantuano
100 mL Capi dry ginger ale
Garnish with dried apple and cinnamon stick

Where You Can Get the Exclusiva Exclusive Cocktail Kit

If throwing together your own delicious, classic cocktail sounds about your speed, you can pick up your own DIY kit directly from the spirit aficionados at Box Bar and get yourself a flavourful tipple.

Whether this is your first time sampling Diplomático’s fantastic rum, or you’re already a fan, looking to expand your cocktail repertoire and spirits knowledge, this cocktail kit is the perfect way to celebrate National Rum Day.

Want to learn more about this incredible rum maker? Find out how Diplomático has been leading the rebirth of rum.

Featured