Name: Pineapple Basil Rum Cocktails
Prep time: 3 min
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: cocktail
Ingredients: 1 oz. light rum; 1 teaspoon lime juice; 2 basil leaves, torn (plus more leaves and flowers for garnish); 4 oz. pineapple juice

This is a side view of a glass on a white counter with water and ice around it. The glass has a yellow drink with crushed ice and another glass is blurred in the background. The drink is garnished with a basil flower and basil leaves. — Pineapple Cocktails are a light, fruity, and refreshing drink! With only five ingredients, these pineapple cocktails will be a new favorite!

Pineapple cocktails are so easy to make and such a fun, refreshing drink to sip on! Whether you’re having some friends over for a backyard summer bbq, or just want something fun to sip on for thirsty Thursday, you are going to love these pineapple drinks!

What you’ll need to make these pineapple drinks

Pineapple Juice. I love how tropical and refreshing pineapple juice is! I just buy bottled pineapple juice but if you have a juicer, you can definitely make your own! Or, blend up some fresh pineapple with water and strain out any pulp.

Rum. I use light rum, read below to learn the difference between light and dark rum.

Lime Juice. You can either use fresh lime juice squeezed right from the fruit or lime juice in the little bottle – whichever you prefer!

Basil. Mm, we’re going to muddle these basil leaves and infuse this drink with delicious fresh basil, you’re going to love it! I also love to top these drinks off with some basil flowers, so if you have any of those, grab ’em for garnish!

Ice. I think crushed ice is great for these drinks. I put my ice cubes in a plastic bag and crush it with a meat tenderizer. But, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who has a crushed ice option on the front of the fridge. Or maybe you just like normal sized ice cubes. Either way, I like this drink over ice but you can shake it to chill it and strain out the ice if you like it that way 🙂

This is an overhead image of a glass with clear liquid and basil leaves muddled. The glass sits on a white counter with more basil leaves around the glass.

Light Rum v. Dark Rum

Light rums tend to gave a sweet, mellow flavor and a similar alcohol content to darker rums.

Dark or gold rum starts out as a similarly clear, light rum, but instead of being filtered and bottled it is aged in wooden barrels resulting in a darker color. The longer it is aged, the darker it is, so a gold rum is aged for some time, but not as long as a dark rum is aged.

What kind of rum should I use in my cocktails?

Welp, there’s no wrong answer. Usually, darker rums are used for sipping or drinking straight because they have more flavor and light rums are used in cocktails.

How to make pineapple cocktails

Easy peasy! If you can muddle and strain, you’re set.

Muddle. Place the basil, rum, and lime juice in a glass with a thick bottom. Use your wand to press and twist the basil into the liquid for about one minute.

Crush your ice. Put the ice into your glasses.

Strain. Strain the basil out of the rum and lime mixture and pour it over the ice.

Add the pineapple juice. Top off the drink with some pineapple juice and give it a stir.

Enjoy! Garnish with some basil flowers and leaves and enjoy!

This is an overhead image of a glass on a white counter with water and ice around it. The glass has a yellow drink with crushed ice. The glass is garnished with basil flower and basil leaves are on the bottom left of the image on the counter.

What to eat alongside these pineapple basil rum cocktails

Love these fruity, summery drinks alongside pretty much anything! Whether you’re having a backyard bbq or a veggie packed dinner, peach daiquiris are a deliciously refreshing drink!

Alongside your daiquiris, try these Instant Pot Pulled Pork Tacos + Fresh Pico de Gallo or this Vegan Zucchini Chickpea Burgers!

You can also try these Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings or this Creamy Garlic Tahini Pasta.

More fun drinks to try:

Did you make this? Leave a review below and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

Recipe