Can You Mix Rum and Tequila?

by Michael
Tequila

Both rum and tequila are popular for their intense taste and the generous alcohol content. You can enjoy each one of these drinks separately, with a few ice cubes. But what about enjoying these drinks together? If you like rum and tequila, you most likely wondered if it could be a good idea to mix these two alcoholic beverages. 

The short answer is that yes, you can definitely mix tequila and rum and love the result. But keep reading to understand how this works and what kind of drinks you can create with these two strong ingredients!

What other alcohols can you mix with tequila?

Plain tequila usually comes with an alcohol level of 40%. but that doesn’t mean that you can’t mix it with other alcoholic beverages.

This liqueur can be a great ingredient in many cocktails as well as a delicious treat by itself. It has a fruity taste with a defined sweetness and interesting earthly notes. Depending on the brand of tequila you are having, you might also identify notes of caramel, vanilla, black pepper, oak and even citrus flavors. 

Tequila goes great with a variety of alcoholic as well as non alcoholic drinks. You can obtain great cocktails by mixing tequila with vermouth or tequila with vodka. Another successful combination is tequila with whiskey. A rye whiskey that has a smooth and mild flavor will only compliment the taste of your tequila. 

Also, we have to note that premium tequila tends to go great with spirits of all kinds. From all the spirits, rum and tequila might just be the best mix! And you will not have a hangover the next day if you try any of these combinations. 

What is rum and tequila mix?

Rum and tequila is a great mix for a variety of cocktails. You can use such a mix to create a delicious Tequila Moonrise cocktail or a Long Island Ices Tea. If you just mix tequila and rum you will obtain a strong alcoholic drink, with different notes of sweetness, earthly notes, and even oak or black pepper notes. 

To mix rum and tequila simply add one ounce of each drink and a few of ice cubes and enjoy. However, this combination will taste much better if you dilute it with another ounce or two of a fruity juice that will act as a filler in your cocktail. Pineapple juice is a particularly great choice for this mix and so is orange juice with a dash of lemon or lime zest! 

Tequila cocktail

What other alcohol can I mix with rum?

Rum, just like tequila, will go great with several other alcohols. This applies to all kinds of rum. However, as a general rule, it is recommended to use a low alcoholic rum when you are going to mix it with another alcoholic beverage. 

Vodka and rum go great together, especially in Caribbean painkiller cocktails. Rum and tequila is also a great mix and it goes great with fruity ingredients. Another great combination is rum and whiskey. 

There are certain cocktails such as the Bishop cocktail that allow you to mix rum and wine as well. Even if this is not one of the most common combinations, it can be a successful one if you like both wine and rum and you add a bit of lemon juice and sugar for extra flavor.

As a general rule, it is important to note that, the rum ingredient in your alcoholic mix should come in less quantity compared to the rest of alcoholic ingredients. Rum has a strong flavor and it tends to take over the other tastes in your drink.

Also, every time you mix rum with another alcoholic beverage, it will taste that much better if you also add a non alcoholic drink as a filler that adds to the overall flavor of your drink! 

Can you mix rum and tequila in a margarita

If Margaritas are some of your favorite drinks, you might wonder if you can mix rum and tequila in such a cocktail. 

Margaritas come with a classic recipe and several variations from it that you want to consider if you are looking for improvements of this popular drink. The classic recipe includes tequila, lime juice, sugar, citrusy liqueur, sugar and you shouldn’t forget about the ice that is mandatory for a successful margarita. 

There is an open dispute among bartenders and cocktail experts regarding the need to add or not add rum to the margaritas. One of the theories says that margarita comes from a Carribean type of rum. Under this theory, rum should replace tequila in the recipe of margarita.

However, there is no recipe of margarita that involves adding both rum and tequila to the drink. That shouldn’t stop you from giving it a try if you think you might like the flavor of both these beverages in your cocktail. 

To make a rum margarita you will need just a few ingredients and it will take you a few minutes if you have everything handy. Gather three ounces or the equivalent of two shots of white rum, 1.5 ounces of citrus liqueur, 4.5 ounces of lime juice, one tablespoon of sugar and plenty of ice by taste.

Mix all the ingredients into a shaker and pour your cocktail into a margarita glass! 

Some Rum & Tequila Cocktail Recipes

There are plenty of delicious cocktails that use both run and tequila into perfect combinations! All you need to prepare the following cocktails are the ingredients that are fairly easy to find and a shaker. Without a cocktail shaker it will be difficult to mix the drinks and obtain the best taste! 

Tequila Moonrise 

Tequila Moonrise is a version of Tequila Sunrise and you will love it from the first sip. It is also very easy to make even for beginners! To make Tequila Moonrise you need dark rum, tequila, white rum, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and ginger ale.

You can add these ingredients in the quantities that you like but try to keep an equal ratio between the rum and the tequila. You don’t want your cocktail to have a strong alcohol taste and take over the other ingredients! 

Fill the shaker half way with ice cubes and add all the ingredients, one by one on top of them. Give it a good shake for a few seconds and pour your cocktail into your favorite glass. Add some more ale for extra flavor on top of it and serve! 

Long Island Iced Tea

Long island iced tea can win the price for the most popular cocktail, right next to Tequila Moonrise. To make this cocktail, you will need a bit more ingredients but it is still one of the easy recipes that you can try at home and be successful at it! 

To make the Long island iced tea, you will need 3/4 ounce white rum, 3/4 ounce vodka, 3/4 ounce gin, 3/4 ounce silver tequila, 3/4 ounce simple syrup, 3/4 ounce triple sec, 3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed, Cola, to top and lemon wedge for garnish. 

Combine all ingredients except the cola into a shaker, along with ice cubes. Shake firmly for ten seconds. Serve in a Collins glass and garnish your drink with the lemon wedge. You can use lime wedge if you prefer too! 

Mai Tai 

Mai Tai is a bit of a disputed cocktail when it comes to the tequila ingredient. The original recipe of Mai Tai doesn’t include tequila. All the ingredients are 1.5 oz white rum, 3/4 oz orange curacao, 3/4 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz orgeat and 1/2 oz dark rum. There are bartenders that consider this recipe to be even better if you replace the dark rum with tequila. 

Mix all the ingredients in a shaker along with ice. Serve with even more ice cubes and a lime wedge for garnish. 

Note that there are recipes of Mai Tai that include pineapple juice or orange juice. This is the type of cocktail that allows you to experiment with the ingredients until you find what suits your taste best. Also, if you want to keep both the dark rum and the white rum in your cocktail yet still add the tequila, you can do that. In this case, your drink will have a higher content of alcohol and a stronher rum taste but it will still be delicious and refreshing. 

Final thoughts 

If you like both rum and tequila, you will be happy to try the combinations in this guide. Most cocktails come with recipes that can be altered to fit your preferences.

So, if you would like more tequila or more rum in your drink than the recipe calls for, feel free to add it. At the same time, if you like a cocktail that contains just one of these alcoholic beverages but you might think that you will like it better with both, you should definitely add the other one and see how that changes your drink. 

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