Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Rum Cobbler
Start makingSwap the base spirit and the cobbler goes somewhere else entirely. Aged rum puts cane sweetness and a little oak up against the orange, warmer and rounder than the same drink built on whiskey.
In the glassAged rum · Orange juice · Simple syrup
See exact amounts
What goes in
Ingredients
Set up before you pour
Use a highball glass.
The tall, straight shape leaves room for plenty of ice and mixer while keeping a long drink lively.
- Standard size
- 350 ml11¾ oz
- Ice & serve
- Pack it generously with crushed ice.
- If you don’t own one
- Use a Collins glass or any tall, straight-sided tumbler.
- jigger or measuring spoon
- Aged rum60 ml
- Orange juice15 ml
- Simple syrup15 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Ice the glass Fill the glass with crushed ice
- 02
Measure and pour Pour 60 ml aged rum
Aged rum
- 03
Measure and pour Add 15 ml orange juice
Orange juice
- 04
Measure and pour Add 15 ml simple syrup
Simple syrup
- 05
Stir around the ice Stir gently to combine
- 06
Finish the drink Finish it — add an orange slice
Know your drink
About the Rum Cobbler
Cobbles of ice
Nobody has proved where the name came from, but the usual explanation is the ice itself, broken into rough cobbles rather than shaved to snow, so it packs into the glass and gives up its water slowly. That happens to be a good instruction whether or not it is the true etymology. Cracked ice, plenty of it, mounded above the rim.
Common questions
Rum Cobbler FAQ
Jamaican or Spanish style for the rum?
Both work and they make different drinks. A Jamaican rum brings overripe banana and a hint of funk that plays well against orange. A softer column rum from Cuba or Panama is cleaner and needs less syrup to taste round. Skip dark rums colored with caramel, which add shade and no depth.
Is this just a Rum Daisy over crushed ice?
No. A daisy is a sour, built on lemon and a liqueur, with enough acid to make it bracing. There is no lemon here at all and only 15 ml of orange, so this drinks long and gentle instead of sharp. The ice does the job the citrus does there.
Demerara syrup instead of plain?
Worth it here more than in most drinks. Demerara sugar keeps enough molasses to meet an aged rum halfway, and at this volume you notice. If you make it rich, two parts sugar to one of hot water, use around 10 ml rather than the full 15.
How sweet does the rum itself make it?
More than the label admits. Several popular aged rums carry added sugar, sometimes 20 grams a liter or more, which lands the finished cobbler close to dessert. Taste the rum on its own first. If it is sweet neat, start at 8 ml of syrup and work up.
What ingredients are in a Rum Cobbler?
A classic Rum Cobbler calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Aged rum, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Orange juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Simple syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.
How strong is a Rum Cobbler?
A standard Rum Cobbler is roughly 27% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.
Is a Rum Cobbler shaken or stirred?
A Rum Cobbler is stirred, not shaken. It contains no citrus juice, so stirring keeps it crystal clear and silky instead of cloudy and aerated.
Sharpen the technique
Skills used in this recipe
How to stir a cocktail for a silky finish
Control chilling and dilution without adding the bubbles and texture of a shake.
Read the guide
Cocktail ice: cubes, crushed ice and dilution
Understand why ice is an ingredient—and choose the right shape for every drink.
Read the guide
Simple syrup ratios, storage and flavor variations
Make a consistent sweetener and understand when rich syrup changes a recipe.
Read the guideWhere to go next
If you like the Rum Cobbler, try these.
Rum Old Fashioned
Same formula as the whiskey version: spirit, sugar, bitters, one large cube. Aged rum answers differently, though. Molasses and vanilla sit where rye's pepper would be, and it lands softer without going slack.
View recipe
Rum Fix
Crushed ice is doing real work in a Fix. It dilutes fast and keeps the drink cold enough that the aged rum's oak reads as warmth rather than heat, while four milliliters of maraschino puts a dry cherry note under the lemon.
View recipe
Rum Manhattan
Aged rum at two parts to one of sweet vermouth, the Manhattan's own proportion rather than the equal-parts split a Palmetto takes. Angostura keeps the dry line. Cane sugar and oak stand where the rye's pepper used to be.
View recipe