Classic cocktail · Guided 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.

Preparation~2 minSuper easyStrengthStrongabout 29% ABVMethodStirred7 guided stepsIngredients4Short (rocks) glass

Tropical

In the glassAged rum · Fresh lemon juice · Simple syrup · Maraschino liqueur

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear rocks glass with low straight sides and a heavy base. — Serving glassRocks glass

Set up before you pour

Use a rocks glass.

The low, sturdy bowl suits concentrated drinks and gives one large cube enough width.

Standard size: 300 ml10¼ oz
Ice & serve: Pack it generously with crushed ice.
If you don’t own one: Use a small water tumbler with a heavy base.

Tools to set out

jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your short (rocks) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Aged rum60 ml
Maraschino liqueur4 ml
Fresh lemon juice15 ml
Simple syrup8 ml

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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 fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
04
Measure and pour
Add 8 ml simple syrup
- Simple syrup
05
Measure and pour
Add 4 ml maraschino liqueur
- Maraschino liqueur
06
Stir around the ice
Stir gently to combine
07
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lemon slice

Know your drink

About the Rum Fix

A Daiquiri, minty rum highball and dark rum rocks drink at a sunset terrace bar.

Against the Daiquiri

Pour the same aged rum into a Daiquiri and you get a photograph: shaken to a set dilution, strained, drunk cold, finished before it moves. The Fix is that rum left running. Lemon replaces the lime, which takes off the sharp green edge and leaves room for oak, and the sugar sits lower, 8 ml against a Daiquiri's 15, because a Fix has a glass of melting ice to soften the lemon and a Daiquiri has none.

Common questions

Rum Fix FAQ

Is 40 percent rum enough for a glass of crushed ice?

Barely. Crushed ice pushes a Fix past 30 percent dilution, and a light column rum at the legal minimum ends up as sweetened lemon water. A 43 to 46 percent aged rum holds its shape the whole way down. If a 40 percent bottle is all you own, cut the syrup and the lemon by a third.

Is 4 ml of maraschino worth measuring?

Very much so. Maraschino is loud, all nutty cherry pit and dried flowers, and 10 ml would take over the glass. A scant bar spoon is the difference between a rum sour with something odd going on underneath and a drink that tastes of liqueur.

How long do I have before the melt takes over?

About ten minutes. Crushed ice keeps working after you stop stirring, so build with slightly less lemon than you think you want and let dilution bring the sour balance to you. Some people top up with a fresh splash of rum halfway down.

What ingredients are in a Rum Fix?

A classic Rum Fix calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Aged rum, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Simple syrup, 4 ml (0.25 oz) Maraschino liqueur. 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 Fix?

A standard Rum Fix is roughly 29% 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 Fix shaken or stirred?

A Rum Fix is stirred, not shaken. It contains no citrus juice, so stirring keeps it crystal clear and silky instead of cloudy and aerated.

What glass do you serve a Rum Fix in?

Serve a Rum Fix in a rocks glass (old fashioned glass), packed with crushed ice.

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