It’s the escape you’ve been looking for; this frozen Rum Runner recipe delivers just that. The relaxation you need to kick off the week’s stress with the perfect blend of rum and liquors; raspberry, fresh orange juice, and pineapple juice.
If you are as obsessed with beach life and enjoying easy cocktail recipes all year long, you stumbled into the right space.
Who doesn’t have visions of running away to warm tropical sunshine with a refreshing fruity drink recipe on their mind? Sipping on this fruity drink will take your mind on a short vacation beside a glistening beach with relaxing waves.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The perfect way to celebrate the everyday moments in your life is with this delicious tropical cocktail that blends citrus and lush fruit juices, grenadine, and dark and light rums, with the unique inclusion of raspberry and banana liqueurs. You’ll enjoy the flavors of banana mixed with the fruity sweetness of orange and grenadine, plus the refreshingly icy sip of Bacardi mixers!
Come and make this rum runner recipe now!
What is a Rum Runner
The story of the Rum Runners begins with the start of prohibition in 1920. Captain William McCoy, one of the most famous, began bringing rum from Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas into south Florida.
Similar to “Bootlegging,” Rum Running was the smuggling of alcohol into places where it was outlawed. by water in particular. Often the larger vessels would transfer the cargo to smaller skiffs just outside of the US territorial waters, where it would then be rowed ashore under cover of darkness.
The rums were often mixed with water, cheaper brands, moonshines, and flavored liquids to maximize profi, then rebranded and sold as high-end libations.
Legend says that the Rum Runner cocktail was created in the late 1950’s at the Holiday Isle Tiki Bar in Islamorada, Florida, but its basis lies in the mixed rums of the prohibition. You’ll see it all over the Florida Keys and throughout the world.
Ingredients Needed for Rum Runner Cocktail
There are likely as many variations of the rum runner as bars that serve it. Paramount to its character, a Rum Runner involves multiple types of alcohol. What you’ll need:
- Rum – this recipe uses a light rum for a mild coconut flavor
- Banana liquor & Raspberry liquor
- Orange and pineapple juice
- Grenadine
Other things you can add that are delicious in this classic cocktail:
- Raspberry liquor
- Blackberry liquor
- Fruit skewer or classic drink umbrella (gives that luxury vacation feel of a tiki cocktail)
- Pineapple wedge or orange slices
How to Make this Frozen Rum Drink
Choose your favorite rum, add your raspberry and banana liqueur to the blender filled with crushed ice or ice cubes, and follow up with your pineapple, orange juice, and a splash of grenadine.
Add the ingredients to the blender. 
Pulse to blend.
Just a few pulses in the blender until you get that perfect smoothie texture, and there you have it! It cannot get any easier; just 4 minutes and you are ready to kick back. Add your mixture to a tall glass and enjoy.
Expert Recipe Tips
This popular tropical cocktail is difficult to mess up, but here are a few tips:
- Use a frozen can of juice concentrate. Add a can of lime juice concentrate or your juice of choice will go a long way with a great cocktail. This will give it lemon-lime tartness similar to a margarita and mellow the alcohol.
- Use real fruit juice for less sugar. If you don’t want as much sugar in your drink, try using real fruit juice as a healthier alternative. You’ll get the best version of this drink and a great taste of the tropics.
How to Store Tropical Rum Drinks
Although it’s not possible to successfully store this frozen, you can pre-mix all your other ingredients to have on hand in your refrigerator. When you are ready to start the party just pour the mixture into your ice-filled blender and blend until smooth or break out the cocktail shaker and have it on the rocks!
What to Serve with Rum Runner Cocktails
This Rum Runner Cocktail Recipe is perfect all on it’s own but it’s even better with a fun appetizer like huli-huli bacon chicken bites or watermelon salad. This is great with chips and salsa or even alongside easy ground pork tacos or chorizo tacos.
Rum Runner Drink FAQs
This recipe calls for coconut rum. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use regular rum with some coconut extract. Light rum will taste just fine in this tropical drink.
The fresher, the better, but you can definitely use store-bought pineapple and orange juice.
Absolutely! You can choose your favorite non-alcoholic rum. Non-alcoholic mocktails are just as amazing!
Some might say it’s not a true rum runner if you leave out the rum, but you can always try brandy, whiskey, or Cognac.
Simple syrup will work great as a flavoring if you don’t want to use grenadine. You won’t get the same color, but can still achieve the fruity taste of Bacardi mixers with it.
Frozen Cocktails might just be my favorite way to cool down and relax on a summer night. Try these out!
More cocktail recipes you’ll love
Frozen Cocktails might just be my favorite way to cool down and relax on a summer night. Try these out!
Enjoy this easy cocktail recipe, and be sure to comment on your favorite variations below and rate the recipe!
Frozen Rum Runner Cocktails
Equipment
- Grenadine Syrup
- Tropical Luau Umbrella (200 Count)
- JoyJolt Nova Non-leaded Crystal Old Fashioned Whiskey Glasses
Ingredients
- 3 oz coconut rum
- 2 oz banana liquor
- 2 oz raspberry liquor
- splash grenadine
- 2 oz pineapple juice
- 2 oz orange juice
- orange slices for garnish
Instructions
- Combine rum, banana liquor, raspberry liquor, greadine, pineapple juice, and orange juice in a blender with lots of ice cubes.
- Pulse a few times for a smoothie like texture.
- Pour into glasses and serve with orange slices and fancy little cocktail umbrellas.
Video
Notes
These are way too cute with those mini umbrellas! Definitely hoping a glass appears before me today 😉
A really good recipe. We thought it was a bit heavy on the banana, so I tried doubling the oj and it worked perfectly!
bahaha Food bloggers lead such glamorous lives! I totally want one of these tonight.
Well that sums up my life pretty well haha. Minus the full time job thing but that’s definitely how I felt while in grad school full time, especially since I was in the lab nearly 7 days a week. But even now with my part time job I find it difficult to keep up sometimes. IDK how I managed it while in grad school! But either way, we could all use one of these cocktails.
Oh that was great to read. I wa too tired to cook dinner after baking all day, so we ordered pizza the other night. Ya, I get it.
And I have very fond memories of 151…on my 21st birthday. And that’s all I remember..lol
You are cracking me up. #foodbloggerproblems! This cocktail looks FAB. Happy to see you are still holding onto summer (me too – but with ice cream!).
Wow. Kita, you just described MY Friday night. Yes, the glamorous job of food blogging. 🙂 This drink looks fabulous by the way. It’s drinks like these that get food bloggers THROUGH Friday nights! Hahahaha!
Sounds like a great Friday night to me! 🙂
The rum runner looks delicious!!
Dayummm, we so fancy. Gotta love blogging, at least we have legit reasons to mix fancy drinks like this all day!
Easy to read and easy to make step by step recipes. I do not know what can be better. You’ve managed to make is desirable to accomplish right away. It sounds great and I’m sure tastes just as awesome.
Yum that looks so delicious! I am a big fan of frozen cocktails so I will have to try this one for sure.
These are beautiful drinks. I know a few people that would really enjoy them.
I have had frozen cocktails before but the one here looks really “cool”. 🙂 🙂 One of the best drinks for summer, I say.
Loved your accurate description of food blogging lol. This cocktail recipe also looks so good that I will have to give a try myself soon.
Oh my, these look amazing. I so need to try one