Name: Rum Runner
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Aged Jamaican rum; 30 ml Light gold rum 1-3yo; 30 ml Banana liqueur; 15 ml Blackberry liqueur; 60 ml Pineapple juice; 30 ml Lime juice; 10 ml Grenadine syrup

Rum Runner
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Serve in a Hurricane glass

Ingredients:
1 oz	Jamaican aged blended rum with funk
1 oz	Light gold rum (1-3 year old molasses column)
1 oz	Giffard Banane du Brésil liqueur
¹⁄₂ oz	Giffard Crème de Mûre liqueur
2 oz	Pineapple juice
1 oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
¹⁄₃ oz	Monin Grenadine Syrup

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

Select and pre-chill a Hurricane glass.
Prepare garnish of pineapple wedge & Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into glass filled with crushed ice.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Fruity and rounded with a touch of rum funk, rich banana and blackberry.

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History:

The Holiday Isle Tiki Bar in Islamorada, Florida Keys, USA, claims to be the "home of the Run Runner." Originally named The Hapi Hula Hut, the bar opened in 1969 and was renamed in 1971. As the Holiday Isle's own website says, "Legend has it [so evidence is perhaps sketchy] over 40 years ago the Tiki Bar manager John Elber (Tiki John) had to get rid of an excess of rum and other liqueurs before the arrival of new inventory. Tiki John was challenged to concoct a cocktail that would help use the surplus inventory. So he mixed banana liquor, Meyers rum, brandy and grenadine and named it the Rum Runner" after the liquor smugglers who used the Florida Keys as their base in the early 1900s.

Nutrition:

One serving of Rum Runner contains 325 calories

Alcohol content:

1.8 standard drinks
12.16% alc./vol. (12.16° proof)
24.9 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 8 comments for Rum Runner.
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John Hinojos

31st October 2023 at 02:02

I have had a Rum Runner in many of the existing tiki bars in California. I also have many vintage tiki cocktail books and this recipe is the same (or similar) to those recipes.
As with most tiki cocktails, I find them a bit sweet. We added a Demerara 151 float. Lessened the sweetness and added a bit more of the rum kick.

Alan Brown

14th October 2023 at 18:23

Couldn’t really get on with the blackberry. Removed, and replaced with 15ml of a creamy banana liqueur I had on hand. A dusting of grated nutmeg works well.

G. M. Genovese

22nd September 2023 at 14:35

Nix the grenadine. Reduce the pineapple to 45 ml, the banana liqueur to 22.5 ml. Add two dashes of Peychaud's bitters. There it is! Enjoy.

G. M. Genovese

22nd September 2023 at 14:40

I honed this down to taste better and fit in a Collins glass. Crushed ice may dilute this to death. If so, then add a little sweetener to drive it.

Bob Cook

27th May 2023 at 00:32

I made this drink according to these directions, and it came out a little sweet but still very enjoyable. I think it made a difference that I used fresh pressed pineapple juice from a pineapple that I cut up immediately before I made the drink.

Caitlin

8th January 2023 at 11:59

A bit too sweet for me. I might skip the grenadine next time, and maybe swap the blackberry liqueur for unsweetened cranberry juice.

Eva S.

21st March 2021 at 23:51

Pretty good, but I felt like it was a bit of an in-betweener. Next time I will add more blackberry to see if that tips it in the direction that I was hoping for. Not a bad drink, just not my favorite.

Nicholas Fiennes

14th January 2021 at 07:14

I made it : 1oz Cargo Cult Banana Rum, 1oz dark rum, 1 oz pineapple juice, 1 oz creme de cassis, 1 oz orange juice, 0.5 oz grenadine and 0.5 oz 55% rum