Rum Rickey Cocktail Recipe

The Rum Rickey is a simple and refreshing cocktail made up of just a handful of ingredients.

The classic rum cocktail features white rum, freshly squeezed lime juice, and ice that is shaken in a cocktail shaker until well chilled.

Poured into an ice-filled Collins glass and topped with sparkling soda water then garnished with a lime wheel, the Rum Rickey is the perfect slightly tart thirst quencher on a hot summer day.

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Save our easy Rum Rickey Cocktail recipe to Pinterest!

What Is A Rum Rickey?

A Rickey is a highball cocktail typically made with gin, bourbon or rum, lime juice, and carbonated water. It’s often served over ice in a highball glass and garnished with a lime wedge, slice or wheel.

The first Rickey was created in Washington, DC in the 1880s by bartender George Williamson. The inititial iteration of the now classic cocktail was prepared with American bourbon, but became more popular when made with gin over a decade later.

The American cocktail is named after Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist who favoured drinks with little to no sugar.

New iterations of the drink today swap out other spirits like our recipe for an easy Rum Rickey!

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Simple Rum Rickey cocktail recipe ingredients.
Simple Rum Rickey cocktail recipe ingredients.

Ingredients

This rum cocktail is best served in a handsome ice-filled collins glass. Fiddle through your bar cart, fridge and cupboards to ensure you have all the ingredients you’ll need:

  • 2 oz Rum
  • 0.5 oz Lime Juice
  • Soda Water
  • Ice
  • Lime wedge, slice or wheel
The Rum Rickey is one of our favourite refreshing cocktails to make in the summer.
The Rum Rickey is one of our favourite refreshing cocktails to make in the summer.

Directions

This Rickey recipe is so easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes!

  1. PREPARE THE GLASS: Begin by preparing your cocktail glass. If desired, you can fill each Collins glass with ice to ensure they are well chilled. Set the glass aside while you prepare the drink.
  2. SHAKE & STRAIN: Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes, white rum, and lime juice. Shake vigorously until the surface of the shaker is will chilled. Strain into ice-filled Collins glass.
  3. GARNISH & SERVE: Top with soda then garnish with a lime wheel, wedge or slice.

Full instructions are in the recipe card below.

Serve a rum rickey in a slender collins glass filled with ice.
Serve a rum rickey in a slender collins glass filled with ice.

Rum Rickey Cocktail Recipe Tips

  • We suggest serving a Rickey in a slender Collins glass.
  • An hour or two before you’re planning on serving drinks we suggest placing the rum bottle in the freezer so it is well chilled.
  • While this Rickey is prepared with rum you can substitue the spirit for a more classic recipe made with bourbon or gin.
  • Only use freshly squeezed lime juice, never concentrate as you can taste the difference.
  • We like to use a white rum when preparing this Rickey such as Bacardi Superior or Diplomatico. Add additional flavour to the drink by using a spiced or aged rum.
  • If you find the drink overly tart feel free to add 0.5 oz of simple syrup to the cocktail shaker to sweeten it up.
  • Garnish the glass rim with lime such as a wheel, wedge or slice.
Garnish a rickey cocktail with a slime wedge, slice or wheel.
Garnish a rickey cocktail with a slime wedge, slice or wheel.

Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment

Before hosting a Rum Rickey cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.

  • Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
  • Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
  • Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
  • Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
  • Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
  • Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
  • Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
  • Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
  • Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
  • Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
  • Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
  • Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
  • Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
  • Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
  • Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
  • Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.
Use your favourite quality rum like Diplomatico.
Use your favourite quality rum like Diplomatico.

What To Serve With A Rum Rickey

We love serving this Rum Rickey cocktail on a hot summer day on the cottage dock, sun-soaked patio or at a backyard barbecue. Be sure to serve the drink with finger-licking-good snacks. Here are some of your favourite snacks to pair with cocktails:

This cocktail is a family favourite on a sunny patio or garden party.
This cocktail is a family favourite on a sunny patio or garden party.

You May Also Enjoy These Rum Cocktails…

Now you're an expert on how to make a classic Rum Rickey!
Now you’re an expert on how to make a classic Rum Rickey!

How To Make A Rum Rickey Cocktail

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Rum Rickey Cocktail

How to make a rum rickey, a simple and refreshing cocktail prepared with rum, fresh lime juice, and sparkling soda water.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Rum Rickey
Servings: 1
Calories: 554kcal

Equipment

  • Jigger
  • Cocktail Shaker
  • Ice

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Rum
  • 0.5 oz Lime Juice
  • Soda Water
  • Lime Wedge or Slice

Instructions

  • Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.
  • Add rum and lime juice. Shake vigorously until the surface of the shaker feels chilled.
  • Strain the drink into a Collins glass filled with crushed ice. Top with soda.
  • Garnish with lime wedge or slice.

Nutrition

Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.2g | Protein: 0.2g | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.8g | Calcium: 13mg

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