5 Top Rums That Belong In Your Kitchen

A Quick Guide to Cooking with Rum

My Top 5 Favorite Rums in the Kitchen

Have you ever looked at that bottle of rum sitting in the liquor cabinet and thought it was only good for a cocktail? I’m here to show you it can do so much more. Rum isn’t just for the glass in your hand, it belongs in the kitchen too. A splash can tenderize, balance acidity, deepen flavor, and turn an ordinary recipe into something unforgettable.

Maybe you don’t drink at all, but still have a bottle left over from a party. Or maybe your spouse enjoys rum while you’d rather pass. Either way, rum doesn’t have to sit on the shelf gathering dust, it can become a secret ingredient that elevates your meals.

I like to share ways to use Kōloa Rum in recipes because it’s a premium Hawaiian spirit, made with locally sourced ingredients and pure cane sugar rather than molasses. That makes it gentle enough to never overshadow a dish, but bold enough to enhance and elevate what’s already good.

That’s why I started The Island Spirit Kitchen. I wanted to share how rum works in food just as beautifully as it does in cocktails, and how you can balance both. My goal is to inspire you to use what you already have on hand, explore new flavors, and make cooking fun and approachable again.

So let’s dive into my top 5 favorite rums to cook with and the easy ways I like to use them.