How to Make a Tropical Rum Punch Cocktail

This tropical rum punch recipe is the perfect summer rum cocktail. It's refreshing, not overly sweet, and easy to make as an individual cocktail or as a batch cocktail recipe.

You'll love this rum punch recipe

It is dangerously good. Don't like rum? No problem. You cannot taste the rum in this cocktail. It is seriously dangerously good. It tastes like tropical juice, it'll be a huge hit when you make it.

It's easy to make. The ingredient list isn't necessarily the shortest, but the great thing about the ingredient list is that they are easy to buy! If you have everything on hand, this drink only takes a minute or two to make. It's such an easy rum punch recipe. 

It's a great batch rum cocktail. If you're looking for the best pitcher cocktail with rum, this is it. Grab yourself a rum punch bowl and have yourself the perfect party drink. 

Ingredients

With a few simple ingredients you can make this cocktail perfect for all those hot summer days. 

Pineapple Juice. I like buying canned pineapple and using the juice from that for pineapple juice. I like the quality and I use a majority, if not all, of the juice. I feel as though I waste a lot of juice if I just buy cartons or cans of juice. However, you can use your favorite pineapple juice if you'd like!

Orange Juice. The fresher the better. For this recipe, I did squeeze about 3 oranges to get 2 oz. of juice. Is the juice worth the squeeze...? Literally. I know stores sell fresh squeezed orange juice in the produce section, I highly recommend using that! If you don't use all of the fresh juice, you can freeze them in ice molds to save for future use. 

Lime Juice. I will ALWAYS say to use fresh lime juice. I do not like imitation lime juice, in my opinion, the juice is always worth the squeeze when it comes to limes. 

Grenadine. I don't often use grenadine, but it is absolutely a bar staple for any home bar! It is also 100% necessary for this drink. 

Light Rum.​ When making tropical rum drinks, I prefer to use light, or white, rum. There are various different kinds of rum, but I find this one to be most user-friendly, not too overpowering and the best for rum punches.

How to make rum punch

1. In a glass filled with ice, pour in all of your ingredients.
2. Give it a good stir, and garnish with a pineapple leaf and maraschino cherry.

What is rum punch made of?

Here's what you'll need for this tropical rum drink recipe.

Pineapple Juice. I like buying canned pineapple and using the juice from that for pineapple juice. I like the quality and I use a majority, if not all, of the juice. I feel as though I waste a lot of juice if I just buy cartons or cans of juice. However, you can use your favorite pineapple juice if you'd like!

Orange Juice. The fresher the better. For this recipe, I did squeeze about 3 oranges to get 2 oz. of juice. Is the juice worth the squeeze...? Literally. I know stores sell fresh squeezed orange juice in the produce section, I highly recommend using that! If you don't use all of the fresh juice, you can freeze them in ice molds to save for future use.

Lime Juice. I will ALWAYS say to use fresh lime juice. I do not like imitation lime juice, in my opinion, the juice is always worth the squeeze when it comes to limes.

Garnish ideas

It is so fun garnishing tropical rum punch recipes! Here are some ideas for you. 

• Pineapple Leaf
• Maraschino Cherry
• Orange Slices
• Pineapple Slices
• Lime Wheel

If you're wondering what type of glasses to serve them in, try hurricane glasses!

Substitutions and variations

Type of rum. For this recipe, I use white rum. However, you can use different rums like dark rum, spiced rum, or coconut rum. Jamaican rum punch uses a combination of dark rum and coconut rum if you want to make that variation. 

Grenadine substitute.​ I always recommend keeping grenadine on your bar cart, but if you don't have that, you can substitute for pomegranate juice or pomegranate syrup.

Other sweeteners.​ You can always use ginger ale or lemon-lime soda to sweeten this classic rum punch, and those add a bit of a fizz which I always enjoy in cocktails. 

Fruit Juices.​ You can totally experiment with other fruit juices in this recipe! Figure out what you like best! Mango nectar and peach juice would be so good. 

Tips for making the best rum punch cocktail

The fresher the better for the juice! It makes all the difference with the cocktail. If you have the time and resources, I recommend making everything as fresh as possible. 

Have fun with garnishes! It is so easy to pluck pineapple leaves off the top and it makes your drinks look so fun and tropical. Not to mention, who doesn't love maraschino cherries?

Want that pretty ombre effect?​ Add all your ingredients, except the grenadine, in your glass. Once you stir everything together, then add your grenadine. It'll give you that beautiful sunset that'll make you feel like you're on a tropical vacation. 

Making a big batch of rum punch

This delicious rum punch is perfect to make for a party! Here's how to make a batch of 10 cocktails.

1. In a large pitcher, add the below ingredients
   1. 2.5 cups light rum
   2. 2.5 cups pineapple juice
   3. 2.5 cups orange juice
   4. 1 ¼ cup lime juice
   5. 1 ¼ cup grenadine
2. Stir, cover, and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
3. Once you're ready to serve, add ice and pour your guests 8 oz. servings over ice.

This is a great batched cocktail to make for a party, because it is so hands-off! You can make it before your party, and then once festivities get going, you can set it out and let your guests pour themselves their own drinks so you can socialize! 

FAQs

How long does rum punch last?

This punch can be made 24 hours ahead of time. Once you add ice and fresh fruit, I don't recommend keeping it over 4-6 hours. 

Which rum for rum punch?

I prefer to make rum punch with white rum. However, you can use dark rum, spiced rum, or coconut rum as well.

What is stronger rum or vodka?

Rum! Rum has an ABV of around 40% and vodka has an ABV of 35%. So, if you want to get more bang for your buck, you might want to switch to some rum punch cocktails. 

Pin it for later!

Want some more fun summer cocktail recipes?

• Strawberry Mojito
• Spicy Rose Margarita
• John Daly Cocktail