Mojito Cupcakes

We recently ran across a picture of delicious looking Mojito Cupcakes on Pinterest and thought we’d give ’em a try. We’re not whizzes in the kitchen (we’d prefer the bar!), but in the interest of good rum recipes, we got to work. We searched for a few recipes on the web and threw out the ones that used a boxed cake mix or rum extract (really? instead of real rum??)

The recipe we decided to try was found on the browneyedbaker. The following is a very slight variation of her recipe. The resulting cupcakes were pretty light and tasty with a hint of lime or mint – nothing overpowering, and the lime zest added to the frosting added just a little more tang. The recipe is fairly time consuming, but the cupcakes would be great for a summer picnic or get together.

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Mojito Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

To brush the cupcakes

  • 2 tbsp. dark rum
  • 2 sprigs fresh mint

For the frosting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Fill muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
  • Combine the buttermilk and the ½ cup mint leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until just starting to steam (do not simmer), then remove from the heat and cover. Let steep for 15 minutes. Once finished, strain the milk into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve. When we made these, the buttermilk separated when warmed and had chunks of mint in it causing us a little angst, but once incorporated into the mix, we were good with it!
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  • With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly.
  • Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and rum. Mix until combined. Reduce mixer to low speed. Add other ingredients, alternating the buttermilk mixture and the dry ingredients.
  • Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden.
  • While the cupcakes are baking, combine the rum and mint sprigs in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the rum is heated through (do not let it simmer). Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep until ready to use.
  • Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the mint-infused rum. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.
  • To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the lime juice and rum and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy.  Frost cupcakes sprinkle with a little lime zest, and garnish with a lime wedge and sprig of fresh mint.

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Bananas Foster Cocktail

Bananas, Ice Cream and Rum. This is definitely a dessert cocktail and tastes amazing! I found this recipe for a Bananas Foster Cocktail on the Cockspur Rum Facebook page last week and knew we’d have to give this one a try! I’m a big fan of the Bananas Foster dessert and this one has some of the same ingredients, and you don’t have to light anything on fire!

We ended up with a few minor variations, such as adding a cup of ice to make the drink even thicker and creamier. This is one great tasting cocktail. Enjoy!!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Bananas Foster Cocktail

Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 4 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
  • 3 oz Cockspur Fine Rum
  • 1 oz Banana Liqueur
  • 1 c ice
  • Sprinkle Cinnamon

Instructions

For more recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory
or Rum Recipes by Category

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Peach Daiquiri

Oh my gosh this one is good. we like a peach or two each year when they are really in season, and after picking up a few really good looking ones from the store yesterday, we wondered about using them in a Daiquiri. There are a few recipes that sounded pretty good on the internet, but we opted for something easy and this recipe variation was just that. Cold and refreshing, it definitely tastes like summertime! Enjoy!

 *We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Peach Daiquiri

Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 4 oz Gold rum
  • 1 large Ripe peach (unpeeled and cut in chunks)
  • 1/2 can Frozen lemonade mix
  • 1-2 c Ice

Instructions

  • Put rum, pieces of peach, and lemonade mix in blender and mix until the peach is blended. 
  • Add ice a little at a time and blend until thick and frosty.
  • Pour into glasses and garnish with a slice of peach if you’d like!

For more recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory

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Cruzan Beach Umbrella

Always on the lookout for new rum concoctions to try, we thought this recipe from Cruzan Rum would be worthy of a mix – not only because of the ingredients, but the beachy name! The citrus flavors are wonderful summertime quenchers and the Cruzan Orange Rum and orange juice compliment the bold flavor of the Cruzan Blackstrap float. So pour one up, head to the beach and enjoy a taste of summertime!!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Cruzan Beach Umbrella

Servings: 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine Orange Rum, Light Aged Rum, orange juice, lime juice and simple syrup over ice in a shaker and shake for 20 seconds.
  • Pour into a rocks glass, add the Blackstrap float and sprinkle with cinnamon.
  • Garnish with an orange and/or lime slice.


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Kiwi Mojitos

Why not? We love kiwi and we love mojitos, so why not a kiwi mojito? We experimented with this one a couple of times before coming up with this combination. If you like your mojitos sweeter, add a little more agave nectar or add 1/2 tsp. sugar to the mint leaves and agave sugar when you muddle. Kiwis add a few little seeds to the mix when you puree them, so be sure to strain or partially the mixture while pouring in a glass if you don’t care for the seeds. Enjoy!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Kiwi Mojito

Servings: 2

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Gently muddle mint leaves with agave syrup and splash of lime. Set aside.
  • In a blender, puree the kiwis and the rum.
  • Gently fold in the mint, agave and lime.
  • Pour into glasses and garnish with mint and kiwi wheels.

For more recipes, visit our Rum Recipe Picture Directory
or Rum Recipes by Category

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Dirty Pirate Poptails

Yesterday afternoon I had a fun photo shoot with a bunch of Dirty Pirates – argggg! Dirty Pirate Poptails that is!

Poptail is a term coined by the people behind a website called Endless Simmer. “Like popsicles? Love cocktails? What’s not to like about a pop-tail?” The temps outside are toasty, so we thought we’d mix up and freeze a batch and see if freezing rum actually worked and if they were really as good and refreshing as they look on Endless Simmer’s website. Let me tell ya – they are tasty little things and just great for a hot summer day – perhaps by the beach or pool. Do they freeze as had as water? No – so be sure to have a plate or napkin ready as you enjoy them.

Pssst, if you like root beer and rum, you may also like Creamy Root Beer & Rum Cocktails!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Dirty Pirate Poptails

Tasty adult popsicles and just great for a hot summer day!
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 c. Coke (let it go slightly flat)
  • 1/3 c. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
  • 1/3 c. Kahlua

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a large glass and stir to combine. Pour mixture into popsicle molds.
  • Freeze for about 2 hours or until mixture starts to solidify enough to hold a popsicle stick upright.
  • Insert popsicle sticks and finish freezing popsicles overnight. To release popsicles run hot water on the outside of popsicle molds for a 2-3 seconds.
  • If you use a set of popsicle molds that have the stick attached to the lid, just pour the liquid in the mold and freeze overnight.

Find more rum recipes here!

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Rum Therapy in Turks and Caicos

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The promise of beaches like the one above caused us to book our first trip to Turks and Caicos a few years ago.

In researching Turks and Caicos, we found that some cays and islands had fantastic high end resorts (Parrot Cay) and some were very quiet with very little tourist traffic. We really wanted to experience a week “off of the grid” and as we were traveling with 4 other adults, we also wanted to find a place large enough to comfortably accommodate 6 on the beach. We ran across a villa rental on North Caicos and thought it might fit the bill. It did.

We flew in to Providenciales, gathered our luggage, hailed a taxi, stopped at a grocery store in Provo before catching the ferry (we read that groceries were quite limited in North Caicos) and caught the ferry to North Caicos.

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The ferry arriving in Provo

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We rented a car in North Caicos for the week. Quite the feat to drive on the right side of the car on the left side of the road, but a car was really necessary and luckily there’s n0t much traffic at all on North Caicos.

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Our villa was located off the main road (see above) and road signs are scarce on North Caicos, so fortunately we had plenty of sunshine left to find our villa.

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The villa was right on beautiful Whitby Beach and we took advantage of the amazing view every day – and night.

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So what did we do for a week? Let me tell  you!

Beaches
The beaches we visited on Turks and Caicos beaches are indescribable. The sand was soft and white… Most beaches on the north side had extremely sandy bottoms and we could walk many feet into the ocean before there was a drop off. On North Caicos we rarely saw another person on the beach and conch shells were everywhere!

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Snorkeling and Shelling
We took an excursion and spent the day snorkeling and shelling. Our captain took us out to a reef where the snorkeling was excellent with vibrantly colored fish and coral. We stopped at a deserted Cay to do some shelling and were amazed to find hundreds of unbroken sun bleached white sand dollars of all sizes.

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We made one more stop at Little Water Cay – a nature reserve, to check out the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguanas.

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Exploring other Islands
Middle Caicos

We took a day trip and drove to Middle Caicos which is connected to North Caicos by a causeway. Middle Caicos looks entirely different than North Caicos and we thought parts of the Beach Cave Trail looked a wee bit like Ireland!

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Providenciales
Provo is the most populated island of  the T&C chain and home to Grace Bay Beach, frequently named as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. It’s an easy ferry ride from Provo to North Caicos and we spent the day shopping, enjoying a few beverages and walking Grace Bay Beach.

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Relaxing
This was our week to get “off the grid” and it didn’t take long to get on island time. No internet access and limited cell phone coverage was a little strange at first, but by the end of the week we were lovin’ it. It gave us plenty of time to do this:

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and this,

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and lots of this…

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Odds and Ends

Just a few other things we enjoyed during our time in T&C.

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Great dock to watch the sunrise and sunset on Horsestable Beach.

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Excellent Caribbean Lobster dinner with Karen at the Silver Palm Restaurant – North Caicos

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Conch, conch and more delicious conch at Miss B’s Island Hut – North Caicos


Finally finding (after several failed attempts) and snorkeling at Three Mary Cays in North Caicos

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One thing that every trip we take to the islands teaches us is that you can never see and do all there is to see and do on an island in just one week.
Our first trip to Turks and Caicos proved that to be true once again. Although we saw A LOT, did A LOT and relaxed A LOT (Yes, we enjoyed a good bit of Rum Therapy there!), we really only saw a fraction of what these beautiful islands have to offer and hope we’ll have the opportunity to return someday to see much more…

 

To see other posts on Turks and Caicos and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

 

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Coconut Old Fashioned

Ready for a classy new cocktail? This twist on a classic from the people at Cruzan Rum highlights the flavor of Cruzan Single Barrel with just a hint of coconut (using coconut water ice cubes!) and citrus. Great to serve during a small cocktail party!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Coconut Old Fashioned

Servings: 1

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Cruzan Single Barrel Rum
  • 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
  • 3 dashes Bitters
  • Coconut Water Ice Cubes (strain a can of coconut water into an ice cube tray and freeze for several hours)
  • Orange Peel

Instructions

  • Cut a wide swath of orange peel and lightly press it in the bottom of a rocks glass.
  • Add rum, syrup and bitters.
  • Drop in a few Coconut Water Ice Cubes, stir gently and serve.

Find more rum recipes here:

Rum Recipe Picture Directory
Rum Recipes by Category

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You Might Have a Tropical Obsession If…

It’s no secret that we here at Rum Therapy do indeed have a tropical obsession…so  much so that we actually are willing to “work” to make our tropical obsession our profession. But just what are the signs of a tropical obsession? If you answer yes to any of these, you may have it. Not that having a tropical obsession is a bad thing – and we’re here to help fuel your obsession with pictures and ideas of what to see and do in the tropics. So whenever you find yourself day dreaming about a beautiful beach and a piña colada, just stop by for a visit. Our pictures of the islands and drink recipes will give you all the therapy you need to make it through your day!

You Might Have a Tropical Obsession If…

1. You see a picture of a beautiful beach on the computer and you drool just a little. Kind of like Pavlov’s dog – you can’t help it.

2. You find yourself planning your next tropical vacation the day you get back from the last one.

3. A hammock with an ocean view sounds so much more relaxing than a cushiony pillow top bed in your own home.

4. Just the thought of a Painkiller on the beach can get you through a Monday.

5. If you close your eyes, look up and imagine yourself on a sugar soft sand beach, you can almost feel the sun on your face and a soft tropical breeze blowing – even in the middle of winter.

6. You get a little teary every time Kenny Chesney’s song “Be As You Are” plays.

7. You can finish this entire verse from Jimmy Buffet’s song “Margaritaville”:

I blew out my flip flop, __________________________________________________

8. You feel like commenting “Oh, I REALLY need this” on every beautiful beach and frosty rum concoction picture posted on Facebook.

9. The thought of traveling with your in-laws is actually tolerable if it will include beach time…and rum.

10. You have a sign that says “It’s 5:00 Somewhere” hanging from your tiki bar in the backyard…


And the number one way to tell if you might have a tropical obsession?

You feel that flip flops are a perfectly acceptable form of footwear…year round!

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Let us know if you have a Tropical Obsession too!

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Check out more posts in Tropical Tips & More!

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Rum Therapy In Kauai

A few years ago, we were lucky enough to spend a week on the island of Kauai. This misty, aromatic, lush island with almost surreal scenery was magical.

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From the beautiful sunny beaches in Poipu, to Mount Waiʻaleʻale, one of the rainiest spots on earth, Kauai has a tremendous variety of places to discover and enjoy. Our week there was a mixture of excitement and total relaxation – just what we look for in a great vacation.

Just what did we experience? Well, we’ll show you!
We flew into the Lihue Airport, rented a Jeep and set off for the north side of the island to Princeville. Click here for a Kauai Map.

Beaches
On our way to Princeville, we stopped to scope out a few beaches. We saw nearly deserted stretches of golden and bronze sand just waiting for a set of fresh footprints. We of course obliged.Resort in

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Flowers and Foliage
Upon checking into our resort we were taken aback by the lushness of the foliage surrounding us and the beautiful flowers and treesFrom then on we had no doubt why Kauai had earned the nickname “The Garden Isle”
(Bird of Paradise, Foliage around our resort, Rainbow Eucalyptus Bark)

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Waterfalls

Kauai is a land of amazing waterfalls. I mean AMAZING. Some of them have even been filmed in the opening of The TV show Fantasy Island and the movie Jurassic Park. You can drive to see Wailua Falls (Fantasy Island) and the others we saw while on an incredible helicopter ride – some were on the inside of a volcano!!

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Na Pali Coast
Is there a more spectacular place on earth? The Na Pali Coast is a 15 mile stretch of unbelievably beautiful rugged coast on Kauai’s northwest side. There are no roads on the Na Pali Coast and you can only experience it by hiking, boating or helicopter. We were there during the winter when the north side experiences rough water, so we opted to experience the Na Pali Coast by hiking and helicopter. Both offered a unique and unforgettable experience.

Hiking the Na Pali Coast
We drove to Ha’ena State Park where the Trailhead for the Kalalau Trail is located. The Kalalau Trail is an 11 mile trail that leads from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Beach on the Na Pali Coast. Na Pali apparently means “The Cliffs’ in Hawaiian and pretty soon after starting the hike, we saw how it earned its name. The trail is steep and rocky in parts, but SO worth the effort. We encountered this part towards the start of the trail, but it leveled out a bit after that.

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We only made it to Hanakapiai Beach ( 4 miles round-trip).

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We hoped to make it to the waterfalls (an additional 2 miles up AND back), but found we didn’t bring enough water to chance it. With the elevation changes and rough trail, the hike to Hanakapiai was about all we could handle that day and returned to our resort for a poolside massage….
Find out more about our Na Pali Coast Hike here: Na Pali Coast Hike

Doorless Helicopter Ride
Seeing Kauai by helicopter is an experience we will never forget. The fact that I was able to be talked into taking a DOORLESS helicopter ride still amazes me, but I would do it again in a heartbeat…

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Waterfalls, Waimea Canyon, Na Pali Coast, Wai’ale’ale’ and Nawiliwili are all completely different experienced by air and the ride exposes you to sights you won’t see from the ground. Amazing. Read more about our Doorless Helicopter Ride over Kauai here: Helicopter Ride in Kauai

Ziplining
I was feeling adventurous after our doorless helicopter ride and actually thought that  ziplining through a tropical  forest would be fun. It was. After working up the nerve to hurl myself off a perfectly good platform, I was amazed at how cool it was to soar over the lush tropical land below us.  There were two zipline locations in Kauai when we visited and we chose the zipline closest to Mount Waiʻaleʻale. We were transported to the zipline in the all terrain vehicle pictured below – which was quite possibly more nerve-racking than the zipline itself!

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Read more about our zipline experience here: Ziplining in Paradise

Odds and Ends
We saw so much in one week and took so many pictures that we really couldn’t cover the whole experience in detail in one post! Here are a just a few additional things we’d recommend seeing and doing while in Kauai:

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Kilauea Lighthouse

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Kalalau Lookout (In Waimea Canyon Park)

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Waimea Canyon (nicknamed “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific”)

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Walking Tour and Coffee Tasting at Kauai Coffee Company

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Golf on Kauai – There are 9 courses on Kauai – some with pretty spectacular views!

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See if you can catch a glimpse of a Monk Seal sunning on one of the beaches in Poipu

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Although we visited Kauai prior to the opening of  Kōloa Rum Company, you can now visit their tasting room and store in Lihue. Check out our previous post using Kōloa Rum in a Pineapple Daiquiri.

And – don’t forget to just relax, enjoy the scenery, take in the sights and fragrances of this tropical paradise, order some of the freshest fish at one of the many great restaurants, and leave your footprints in the golden sand

Aloha!

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To see more posts on Kauai and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.