Rum Round-Up: Bartenders Share Their Go-To Pours, Sips, and Cocktails
August 28, 2025
Rum is one of the most versatile spirits behind the bar, carrying a spectrum of flavours that can swing from grassy and bright to funky, rich, and bold. To explore what makes this category so dynamic, we asked bartenders and rum enthusiasts across Canada to share their well rums, favourite sipping choices, and go-to cocktails. From carefully crafted house blends to tried-and-true classics, their answers reveal not just what bottles they reach for, but why these rums matter to their craft. Whether you’re a casual drinker or a die-hard rum fan, this round-up highlights the bottles and serves that keep shaping how rum is enjoyed today.
Jackson Long
Bars: El Pequeño & The Coldroom
Position: Bartender
City: Montreal, Quebec
Instagram Handle: @DrinkingJaquiris
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”: Being a cuban rum bar, our well rums are Havana 3 and Havana 7 for light and dark respectively; however I like to keep Appleton 8 Year in my well as well as I feel like its the perfect well rounded dark rum for most classics. It’s my personal pick for a norm-core, classic daiquiri as it has just enough of that Jamaican funk while still being a low-end heavy but diverse dark rum.
Best Sipping Rum: My favourite sipping rum is the Gold Of Mauritius Solera 5 from the island of Mauritius off the east coast of Madagascar. It has strong notes of baking spices, vanilla, caramelized bananas, and roasted hazelnuts. Its very smooth and gentle while still having that robust bottom end. I find at the price point it has far surpassed a lot of more well known top shelf rums, I often down-sell people to this bottle until it’s 86’d (I miss it so much, SAQ please bring it back I’m begging you).
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Pineapple Daiquiri (see more here)
Kalisha Glover
Bars: Published on Main
Position: Bartender
City: Vancouver, BC
Instagram Handle: @kalisha_glover112
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”: At Published on Main, we use Havana Club 3 Year as our well rum. It works fantastically as a base rum because of both the price point and the flavour. It’s very light and fresh with just enough caramel and sweetness to mix beautifully into cocktails from a mojito to a daiquiri.
Best Sipping Rum: My preferred sipping rum is the Diplomatico Réserva Exclusiva. An absolutely classic rum that’s widely available and accessible. It’s super sweet, reminding me almost of maple syrup, making it a perfect nightcap to sip on right before bed. While I recognize it may not be the most complex rum on the market, it is a little pleasure that I can’t help but repeatedly come back to.
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Missionary’s Downfall (see more here)
Robin James
Bars: Little Sister Portland & XXX Cocktail Bar
Position: General Manager & Beverage Director
City: Toronto, Ontario
Instagram Handle: @djrobinjames
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”:
We make a few blends of rums but we have a “house blend” for well drinks and daiquiris – without giving ratios – Havana Club 3 Year, Wray N Nephew Overproof, Mount Gay Eclipse Navy Strength, Briottet Sawgrass Agricole, Trois Rivieres Cuvee L’Ocean, Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican.
The idea, like a song, is that it needs various components to sound great… a low end, a high end, and a middle component that harmonizes. My blend is funky, grassy, fruity, punchy, and you can really taste the rum.
Best Sipping Rum:
I prefer rums to be a bit bolder (mostly pot still), heavier, and without additives. This usually narrows the choices. Most rums add sugar, caramel extract, oak and vanilla extracts, and other texture components. I prefer rums that don’t need to hide behind these products. The art is the craft of the distiller and master blender. Not all rums are created equally. As Ian Burrell says, “Drink what you like, but know what you’re drinking.” Support rums that are fermented, distilled, aged, bottled, and exported directly from a country of origin. That money stays on island and contributes to the local economies.
– Doorly’s 14yr Barbados Rum (48% ABV)
– Mount Gay XO Barbados Rum (43% ABV)
– Chairman’s Reserve Legacy Rum Saint Lucia (43% ABV)
– Worthy Park Estate 12 Yr 2006 (55% ABV)
– Foursquare Exceptional Cask Series (any edition) 48%–63%
– Chairman’s Reserve 1931 (46% ABV)
– 1423 Spirits – SBS Origins Australia KLK (57.4% ABV)
– Hampden Estates DOK (64% ABV)
– Clément Coco Mahina (19% ABV)
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Daiquiri (see more here)
Jason Laidlaw
Bars: Shameful Tiki Room
Position: Owner
City: Vancouver, BC
Instagram Handle:
@shamefultikiroom
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”: Oh man, seeing as we’re a traditional tiki bar we use a GANG of rums in the well and in the cocktail program, and usually a blend of many in each drink, so it’s impossible to pick just one, so here’s a few: We use Appleton Signature for a lightly aged light Jamaican funk, Wray and Nephew overproof brings the big hogo smack, Hart and Sons Original 1804 for rich demerara flavours, Flor de Caña 5 for light column still Spanish style aged flavours, Tanduay Silver for a white rum with a little character, Lamb’s 151 for a reasonably priced rich overproof (it’s also our fire juice!), St. James Ambre and Blanc for 2 distinct takes on grassy agricole notes, and finally you can’t really have an authentic daiquiri without a good cuban rum, so Havana Club 3. There’s more, but we don’t have all day here people.
Best Sipping Rum:
I’m currently loving the Bira! South African Malt Whisky Cask 2017 release, just a perfect integration of smooth age, rich barrel notes, significant but balanced esters, and a stout ABV. A real winner.
(PS – Check out the full interview with 77Spirits to learn more about the Bira! ethos.)
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Mai Tai (see more here)
Max Chesnut
Organization: Rum Club
Position: Founder
City: Vancouver, BC
Instagram Handle:
@explorewithmax
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”:
For me, it has to be Havana Club 3, the ultimate daiquiri rum. What makes rum such an incredible cocktail base is its versatility and diversity — there’s truly a rum for every style of drink. You can craft a spirit-forward stirred cocktail with a rum that could stand in for whiskey, or blend rums together to create a unique flavour profile that no other spirit can match. Imagine the bright funk of a Jamaican rum paired with the grassy elegance of a Martinique agricole for the perfect Mai Tai blend. The possibilities are endless.
Best Sipping Rum:
This is an almost impossible question — like asking me to choose a favourite dog, or in this case, rum style or producer. I could happily sip on a super-funky Jamaican rum from Worthy Park like their new Overproof or Jagricole, a beautifully aged Barbados expression from Foursquare, or even a high-proof agricole from Martinique such as Rhum JM 50% Green Label. But if pressed to choose just one, my go-to would be the Chairman’s Reserve Legacy. It’s a masterful blend of molasses-based rum and agricole, aged to perfection, offering depth, complexity, and a balance that keeps me coming back for more.
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Queen’s Park Swizzle (see more here)
Matt Sinagoga
Bars: Mixology Matt Mobile Bartending
Position: Owner
City: Toronto, Ontario
Instagram Handle:
@mixology_matt
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”:
This is a hard question! If we are talking about aged Rum then my go to is Appleton Estate Signature blend. I love a good Jamaican Rum and Appleton always gets the job done. It’s very versatile, budget friendly, and always accessible. Whether you are making a Daquiri, Dark N Stormy, or a Tiki-style cocktail, Appleton delivers. For White Rums, I will typically use Planteray 3 Star. It is a blend of rums from Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica so it has a lot of character. Light bodied with a clean finish, great choice for cocktails.
Best Sipping Rum:
For sipping Rum, I enjoy an aged Demerara style Rum and I always come back to El Dorado 12 or 15. The Demerara style Rums have a deep molasses flavour that’s both sweet and earthy. El Dorado also released a high ester blend which is fantastic. It is a bit harder to come by but if you see it then you have to snag a bottle.
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Mojito (see more here)
Tyler Laitenen
Position: Home Bartender & Rum Enthusiast
City: Port Moody, BC
Instagram Handle:
@grumpyrumguy
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”:
I frequently make Daiquiris and Mai Tais. My well rums are therefore different so I’ll cheat and name 2. Havana Club 3 year is textbook light rum. It is bright and easy to drink, affordable and also comes in 1L format which makes it perfect for me as I use a lot of it. My Mai Tai rum is Appleton 12 year old. In my opinion it is the best bang for buck rum period. It is easy to find and only $50. It’s a delicious punchy yet elegant rum that elevates any rum cocktail.
Best Sipping Rum:
Preferred sipper is tough because there are so my rum styles. I would say if I could always have it it would be Appleton 21. I have always been partial to Joy Spence’s vision, there’s a great match of Jamaican character with expert blending and aging. There is always this great flash of orange peel that I find in Appleton aged expressions that I love.
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Rum Hook (see more here)
Adam R.
Position: Home Bartender & Rum Enthusiast
City: Vancouver, BC
Instagram Handle:
@generousgiant
Preferred “Well Rum(s)”:
Gosling’s Black Seal has been my go-to well rum due to its rich and smooth flavour profile. Other than rum and cokes, Moscow mule and Dark ‘n Stormy highballs are popular, with daiquiris and mojitos being popular cocktails.
Best Sipping Rum:
Favourite sipping rum is Bumbu XO! Complex and instant awesomeness.
Go-To Rum Cocktail: Rum Sea Breeze (see more here)
