Rum swizzle
Bermuda's national drink, a potent rum cocktail with a long history.
The rum swizzle is a rum-based cocktail widely regarded as Bermuda’s national drink. The Royal Gazette has called it “the legendary Rum swizzle…perfect for sharing and irresistible to locals and tourists alike.” It is said to be as integral to Bermuda’s culture and cuisine as the Bermuda onion, the hibiscus, or the Bermuda Longtail.
Recipes vary among bartenders. One of the oldest known recipes appears in Jerry Thomas's 1862 *How to Mix Drinks*. Gosling’s Rum, based in Bermuda, publishes a version using two of its own rums. The most consistent ingredients are rum, fruit juice (often lime, orange, and pineapple), and a flavored sweetener like falernum or grenadine. The drink is typically shaken or stirred with ice.
Icy rum mixtures called swizzles—later rum swizzles—appear in literature from the mid-18th century onward, in places including Fort Ticonderoga, New York (1760); Saint Kitts (1838); Bridgetown, Barbados (1841); Great Britain (1862); and Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands (1911). Early versions often combined one part rum with five or six parts water, sometimes with aromatics, mixed by rotating a forked stick between the palms. Another account describes it as spruce beer with rum and sugar.
In his 1908 book *Beverages, Past and Present*, Edward R. Emerson claimed rum swizzles originated on Saint Kitts. Naturalist Frederick Albion Ober noted in his earlier work that the great drink of Barbados ice houses was the swizzle—a mix of liquors, sugar, and ice whisked to a froth with a “swizzle-stick” made from a native plant, possibly *Quararibea turbinata* or an allspice bush. The word “swizzle” may derive from “switchel,” though its origin is unknown.
Rum swizzles were the drink of choice at a 1924 party in London hosted by novelist Alec Waugh, sometimes cited as an early cocktail party, though the claim to being the world’s first is disputed. A reference to a possibly fictional “green swizzle” dates to 1925. The rum swizzle appears in Sinclair Lewis’s 1925 novel *Arrowsmith*, set on the fictional Caribbean island of St. Hubert. In 1930, Joseph Hergesheimer described a version with Bacardi rum, bitters, and a sassafras swizzle stick. The drink is also mentioned in Grace Hegger Lewis’s 1931 autobiographical novel *Half a Loaf*.
Quick Facts
- Base
- Rum
- Ingredients
- 4oz. black rum / 4oz. gold rum / Juice of 2 lemons / 5oz. pineapple juice / 5oz orange juice / 2oz. Bermuda falernum / 6 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Served
- On the rocks: poured over ice
- Prep
- Mix in pitcher with crushed ice, shake vigorously until a frothing head appears. Strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with a slice of orange and a cherry. Serves 6.
- Drinkware
- Rocks glass
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Icy drink mixtures with rum, first identified as swizzles and later as rum swizzles, have been mentioned in literature since the mid 18th century in locations including Fort Ticonderoga, New York (1760), Saint Kitts (1838), Bridgetown, Barbados (1841), Great Britain (1862), and Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands (1911). Early versions typically consisted of one part rum diluted with five or six parts water, sometimes with additional aromatic ingredients, mixed by rotating a forked stick made from a root between the palms. Another account describes it as spruce beer with added rum and sugar.
In his 1908 book, Edward R. Emerson asserted that rum swizzles originated on Saint Kitts. Naturalist Frederick Albion Ober noted in an earlier work that the great drink of Barbados ice houses was the swizzle—a mix of liquors, sugar, and ice whisked to a froth with a “swizzle-stick” made from a native plant, possibly *Quararibea turbinata* or an allspice bush. The word “swizzle” may derive from “switchel,” though its origin is unknown.
Rum swizzles were the drink of choice at a 1924 party in London hosted by novelist Alec Waugh, sometimes cited as an early cocktail party, though the claim to being the world’s first is disputed. A reference to a possibly fictional “green swizzle” dates to 1925. The rum swizzle appears in Sinclair Lewis’s 1925 novel *Arrowsmith*, set on the fictional Caribbean island of St. Hubert. In 1930, Joseph Hergesheimer described a version with Bacardi rum, bitters, and a sassafras swizzle stick. The drink is also mentioned in Grace Hegger Lewis’s 1931 autobiographical novel *Half a Loaf*.
Today, the rum swizzle is strongly associated with The Swizzle Inn in Bailey’s Bay, Bermuda, whose motto is “Swizzle Inn, Swagger Out.” The p
Reader's Guide
The rum swizzle holds a significant place in Bermuda's cultural identity, frequently referred to as the island's national drink. Its history, however, extends far beyond Bermuda, with references appearing across the Caribbean and even in Great Britain from the mid-18th century onward. The drink's legacy is tied to the development of the swizzle stick, a forked implement used to mix the beverage, which gave its name to the 1933 swizzle stick product. The rum swizzle's enduring popularity is evident in its presence in literature, from Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith to P. G. Wodehouse's mention of a 'green swizzle,' and in its association with the Swizzle Inn, which sold its first Rum Swizzle in 1932. The drink's recipe has evolved over time, with different bartenders offering varying interpretations, but the core ingredients of rum, fruit juice, and a flavored sweetener remain consistent. The rum swizzle's legacy is also reflected in variant recipes such as the 151 swizzle created by Don the Beachcomber and the Kingston swizzle, Kona Swizzle, and Martinique Swizzle presented in Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide. As the Bermuda Hotel Association notes, the Swizzle Inn pub sold its first Rum Swizzle in 1932 and it remains the perfect place to enjoy the potent national drink.
Did You Know?
- The rum swizzle is often called Bermuda's national drink.
- The drink's name contributed to the 1933 swizzle stick product name.
- One of the oldest recipes appears in the 1941 Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender Guide.
- The Swizzle Inn in Bailey's Bay, Bermuda, calls itself 'the home of the rum swizzle' and sold its first in 1932.
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