Originally from Puerto Rico, the pina colada is a mixology icon synonymous with beach relaxation and taking walks in the rain. While ostensibly a tropically heavy cream drink using white, golden, or spiced rum, you can use any rum expression to make a great colada cocktail (vodka also works).

Quality rum production is rising across the US and Caribbean, with old favorites and flavors contrasting with interesting independent producers to create a brilliant range of options for rum drinkers, cocktail samplers, and home bar operators.

Below you’ll find a killer collection of the best eight rums for pina colada cocktail enjoyment – ranging in price points and type – as well as a simple-to-follow, fresh recipe that will blow any pre-bought pina colada mix out of the water.

Best Buy

1. Banks 5 Island Blend Rum

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Banks 5 Island Blend Rum is a big, characterful rum full of fermented molasses that boldly sits well in a classic pina colada mix. Filtered until it’s crystal clear, this barrel-aged rum offers more character than most light rum types and contains a blend of rums from five distilleries, each aged between three and 12 years. The rums are from Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, and Guyana, but also include the sugar cane juice and molasses distillate Batavia Arrack from Java.

Banks 5 Island Rum is just the type of expression that’ll liven up any rum cocktail, or work just as well with lime juice, ice cubes, and some muddled-up pineapple chunks. Banks also has a golden rum blend of 23 rums from seven countries that we highly recommend if a sweeter beach rum is more your kind of thing.

2. Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum

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Mount Gay is the oldest rum distillery in the world with over 300 years of Caribbean Island expertise. The Black Barrel blend is crafted from intense and aromatic rums distilled in traditional copper pots and column stills. After distillation, the rum is matured between three to seven years in American Whiskey casks and then finished for another six months in deeply charred ex-bourbon casks.