Skip to main content

Get dark and moody with these spiced rum holiday cocktails

These dark and delicious delights make the season a little bit sinister

spiced rum holiday cocktails kraken black eggnog 2
The Kraken

Spiced rums are one of those spirits which are enormously popular in simple mixed drinks like a rum and coke, but can be a bit of a challenge to mix cocktails with. As they tend to pack a big flavor punch and be somewhat sweet, you need to balance out all of that rum heft with other powerful ingredients like coffee, eggnog, or pineapple.

If you’re looking for some inspiration and some holiday fun, then the brand The Kraken has suggestions for how to mix its dark spiced rum into dark and moody cocktails. If you’re the kind of person who wishes Halloween was all year round, then you’ll love these playful takes on holiday drinks including a take on eggnogg, an Espresso Martini variations, and a dark and fruity option which makes use of activated charcoal for extra blackness and depth.

Recommended Videos

Kraken Eggnog

The Kraken

Ingredients:

  • 1 part The Kraken Black Spiced Rum
  • 4 parts Eggnog
  • Garnishes: Grated Cinnamon, Grated Nutmeg

Method: Combine all ingredients in an eggnog or highball glass and stir. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the top.

Krakaccino

The Kraken

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz The Kraken Gold Spiced Rum
  • .05 oz Irish Cream
  • 1 oz Espresso
  • Whipped Cream
  • Garnish: Cinnamon Stencil of The Beast

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a glass rimmed with chocolate sauce. Top with whipped cream and garnish with a cinnamon stencil of The Beast.

Naughty Coal

The Kraken

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz The Kraken Black Spiced Rum
  • ¾ oz simple syrup
  • ½ capsule of activated charcoal
  • 1.5 ounces pineapple juice

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into a glass and serve over ice.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet is a cocktail enthusiast based in Berlin, with an ever-growing gin collection and a love for trying out new…
The most unexpected drink I’ve seen this year is the Gin & Cabernet Sour
It's like a New York Sour. But with gin?
Cab Sour

As someone who is interested in cocktails, after a while you tend to assume that trends and recipes are predictable. You take a classic drink, then add an ingredient, or infuse something into the spirit, or swap out the base. That's a whole world of fun and flavor to explore, but it's rare that you'll truly be surprised by a recipe.

That's why I had to take a moment to consider a new recipe which I saw for this first time this week, which involves a combination I have never in my life imagined: gin and red wine. The Gin & Cabernet Sour, from wine brand WSJ Wine, pairs up the juniper, bitter notes of gin with the rich, heavy flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon, balanced with Cointreau, simple syrup, and lemon juice.

Read more
Take your Margarita up a notch with beautiful garnishes, like this bar does
Visual appeal is as important as flavor in creating a great drink
The Gilded Iguana Surf Hotel Margarita

It's Margarita season, and that means you'll be seeing Margarita recipes which incorporate fruits, infused tequilas, and even alternative spirits like mezcal. But if you'd prefer to keep your Margaritas more on the classic side, then there are still changes you can make to fancy them up.

One option is to keep the changes minimal, such as switching out the usual lime juice for lemon juice. That adds a tart, sharp note to the drink, and lemon is a natural partner for tequila. You should also feel free to play with the proportions of tequila, triple sec, and citrus juice to find your own preference, as well as adding a sweetner like simple syrup if required. One thing to remember is that the freshness of your citrus will make a big difference to its flavor, so fresher citrus juice may not require any additional sweetner at all, while if you're using older lemons or limes you might need to help them out with a little additional sugar.

Read more
The drink of the summer: White Port & Tonic
These Portugese classic is ready for its international debut
Taylor Fladgate Chip Dry White Port & Tonic

Though winter is still in full swing, let's take some joy in looking ahead to summer -- and what we might all be drinking in a few months' time. One drink that's up on professional radars for 2025 is the White Port and Tonic, the unofficial drink of Porto and a low-abv sipper that's big on flavor and refreshingly casual.

I'm personally delighted about this development, as I spent a very happy summer in Porto a few years ago, enjoying the excellent food and drink there as well as the gorgeous ocean views. Something I appreciated about the culture there was that port was absolutely not a stuffy, elite, or terribly expensive drink. Rather it was something to casually sip after finishing a pizza, or something to share with friends sat on a wall overlooking the city. Certainly, more aged and pricey ports are available -- and are interesting to drink in their own right -- but port can also be something relaxed and informal.

Read more