The Original Bacardi Cocktail Recipe - The Spruce Eats

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Bacardi Cocktail By Colleen Graham Colleen Graham Writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process Updated on 12/8/25 Tested by Sean Michael Johnson Tested by Sean Michael Johnson Sean is an award-winning bartender with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the head bartender at the two-Michelin-star restaurant, Gabriel Kreuther, crafting cocktail menus that have caught international attention. To date, he has made over 1 million cocktails, and counting. Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process (54) Save Write a Review Print Close

Prep: 3 mins Cook: 0 mins Total: 3 mins Serving: 1 serving Yield: 1 cocktail 54 ratings Write a Review Add a comment SaveRecipe

• You get a balanced sweet and sour flavor by swapping simple syrup for grenadine.
• Mixing this drink takes just a few minutes and basic cocktail-shaking skills.
• The recipe has a unique backstory tied to a 1936 New York Supreme Court decision.

The original Bacardi cocktail is an excellent use for light rum. Popular as early as the 1930s, it's a classic drink designed for this specific brand of rum. It requires just three ingredients and is an easy cocktail to mix up. Essentially a daiquiri sweetened with grenadine rather than simple syrup, the sweet-sour taste can be adapted to suit your taste.

Not only is this a great drink, but it's also one of the earliest examples of an effective liquor advertising campaign. In fact, in 1936 the New York Supreme Court ruled that an authentic Bacardi cocktail (even beyond this recipe) had to be made with Bacardi Rum.

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"This drink is fantastic, and it should be—it is a Daiquiri variation. This recipe is great because it highlights three ingredients that can taste delicious in different ratios. Increase the grenadine and you get lovely cherry notes; increase the lime juice and you have something closer to a true Daiquiri." —Sean Johnson

A Note From Our Recipe Tester Keep Screen Awake

• 2 ounces Bacardi Light Rum

• 1/2 ounce lime juice

• 1/2 ounce grenadine

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a cocktail shaker, pour the rum, lime juice, and grenadine, then fill with ice.

3. Shake well.

4. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

• Sour mix is often used in bars instead of the citrus juice, but fresh juice always makes a better drink.
• If you want to go that route, it's easy to make your own sour mix. However, it's really not necessary here because the grenadine adds a perfect amount of sweetness.

Recipe Variations

Though there is only one "Bacardi Cocktail," the formula can change. The variations bartenders use include:

• Increase the lime juice to 1 ounce.
• Some recipes decrease the grenadine to as little as 1/2 teaspoon.
• Mix 1 1/2 ounces Bacardi with 3/4 ounce lemon juice, 1 ounce simple syrup, and 2 dashes of grenadine.
• The Bacardi Special brings gin into the mix: Pour 1 1/2 ounces light rum, 3/4 ounce gin, 1 ounce lime juice, and 1 teaspoon grenadine. According to Harry Craddock's 1930 "The Savoy Cocktail Book," it was made famous by New York newspaper columnist Karl K. Kitchen (1885–1935) and used Beefeater Gin.

How Strong Is a Bacardi Cocktail?

The rum dominates this cocktail and, though it may be sweet and delicious, it is a strong drink. Its alcohol content falls into the 23 percent ABV (46 proof) range, making it slightly more potent than a shaken daiquiri.

Where Is Bacardi Rum From?

Bacardi Rum was founded in 1862 in Santiago de Cuba and by the 1930s they were producing rum in Puerto Rico and Mexico. During the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro in the 1960s, Bacardi left Cuba entirely and for many years it was not sold in the country. The Puerto Rican location is the largest rum distillery in the world today. Bacardi Limited is one of the giants of the liquor industry. It owns many popular brands of alcohol, including Grey Goose Vodka, Patrón Tequila, and Bombay Sapphire Gin.

Why Is Bacardi So Popular?

Likely due to a combination of mass distribution and great marketing, Bacardi became a household name in rum during the 20th century. In A.S. Crockett's 1935 "The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book," there are 17 cocktail recipes—including a collins, daisy, old-fashioned, and rickey—that have the Bacardi name. In classic bartending guides, it's not uncommon to find recipes that use Bacardi as a stand-in for rum. The rum has also had many devoted and well-known fans. During Prohibition, for example, many Americans ventured to Cuba to enjoy the adult beverages they couldn't legally drink in the U.S. Among them was the legendary writer, Ernest Hemingway. Famous for his love of rum—and daiquiris, in particular—he has his own cocktail, the Hemingway daiquiri. It's said that Bacardi was his preferred rum.

What's the Law Regarding the Bacardi Cocktail?

In 1936, Bacardi filed a lawsuit against a bar because it was not serving the brand's rum when customers asked for it. The New York Supreme Court's ruling did not affect the Bacardi cocktail alone but stretches to any drink in which a customer calls out Bacardi by name. If you order a Bacardi mojito, the law says that the bartender should pour Bacardi.

Are There More "Bacardi" Cocktails?

Cocktails such as the mojito, daiquiri, and Cuba libre have a connection to the Bacardi brand as well. Some stories attribute the rum to the original creation of these drinks, a scenario that is possible considering the rum's popularity. It was just as prevalent then as it today, and it's feasible that bartenders picked up a bottle of Bacardi when they first poured these now-classic drinks. Other signature cocktails from Bacardi include the commodore and dulce de leche.

Rum Cocktail Recipes

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
171	Calories
0g	Fat
11g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label ×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories	171
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 5mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 5mg	23%
Calcium 3mg	0%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 23mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

• rum cocktail
• american
• party
• beverage

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