Data ranking

Lowest Sugar Rum Cocktails, Ranked by Data

The lowest-sugar Rum cocktails in this data are Buccaneer (0.5g sugar), Banana Daiquiri (0.8g sugar), Rum Rickey (1.0g sugar).

"Lower sugar" and "lower calorie" are not the same thing — and a drink that optimises for one often underperforms on the other. The balance score here weights both together, alongside carb content and alcohol level, so the drinks that rank well are genuinely restrained across the board rather than low in one number and high in everything else.

189Recipes reviewed

25Matching this guide

1.2gMedian sugar

142 kcalMedian calories

21.2%Median ABV

Ranked recipes

#	Drink	Why it ranks	Sugar	Nutrition	Alcohol	Best for
1	Buccaneer	0.5g sugar	0.5g	140 kcal · 3.2g carbs	16.3% ABV · 1.24 std	Quick, easy serve
2	Banana Daiquiri	0.8g sugar	0.8g	113 kcal · 3.7g carbs	21.9% ABV · 1.09 std	Any occasion
3	Rum Rickey	1.0g sugar	1.0g	151 kcal · 5.0g carbs	20.2% ABV · 1.46 std	Quick, easy serve
4	Buckjones	1.6g sugar	1.6g	189 kcal · 7.3g carbs	21.2% ABV · 1.77 std	Quick, easy serve
5	Mojito Extra	0.8g sugar	0.8g	298 kcal · 2.1g carbs	19.5% ABV · 3.08 std	Any occasion
6	Havana Cocktail	3.1g sugar	3.1g	85 kcal · 4.2g carbs	20.2% ABV · 0.73 std	Quick, easy serve
7	Imperial Fizz	3.1g sugar	3.1g	160 kcal · 4.2g carbs	19.0% ABV · 1.49 std	Any occasion
8	Malibu Twister	3.6g sugar	3.6g	152 kcal · 3.7g carbs	17.5% ABV · 1.48 std	Quick, easy serve
9	Shanghai Cocktail	0.0g sugar	0.0g	68 kcal · 0.0g carbs	43.8% ABV · 0.73 std	Any occasion
10	Mississippi Planters Punch	0.0g sugar	0.0g	142 kcal · 0.0g carbs	42.2% ABV · 1.41 std	Any occasion
11	New Orleans Buck	4.0g sugar	4.0g	162 kcal · 7.2g carbs	17.5% ABV · 1.46 std	Quick, easy serve
12	Limona Corona	3.8g sugar	3.8g	383 kcal · 26.3g carbs	5.9% ABV · 2.63 std	Quick, easy serve
13	Long Island Iced Tea	0.1g sugar	0.1g	136 kcal · 0.1g carbs	42.5% ABV · 1.44 std	Any occasion
14	Rum Cobbler	4.3g sugar	4.3g	155 kcal · 4.3g carbs	16.9% ABV · 1.46 std	Any occasion
15	Apple Rum Rickey	0.4g sugar	0.4g	111 kcal · 2.3g carbs	27.9% ABV · 1.05 std	Quick, easy serve
16	Tchoupitolas Street Guzzle	4.5g sugar	4.5g	113 kcal · 6.3g carbs	10.8% ABV · 0.73 std	Quick, easy serve
17	Quarter Deck Cocktail	0.5g sugar	0.5g	119 kcal · 2.4g carbs	30.7% ABV · 1.20 std	Quick, easy serve
18	Midnight Cowboy	0.4g sugar	0.4g	266 kcal · 0.4g carbs	38.2% ABV · 2.23 std	Quick, easy serve
19	Vesuvio	4.8g sugar	4.8g	122 kcal · 6.4g carbs	16.3% ABV · 0.87 std	Any occasion
20	Brown Cocktail	0.9g sugar	0.9g	129 kcal · 1.3g carbs	34.7% ABV · 1.30 std	Quick, easy serve
21	Long Island Tea	0.9g sugar	0.9g	142 kcal · 1.9g carbs	32.2% ABV · 1.44 std	Any occasion
22	Dark and Stormy	5.0g sugar	5.0g	165 kcal · 7.0g carbs	14.6% ABV · 1.23 std	Quick, easy serve
23	Rum Martini	1.2g sugar	1.2g	172 kcal · 1.8g carbs	34.7% ABV · 1.73 std	Quick, easy serve
24	Rum Old-fashioned	1.4g sugar	1.4g	125 kcal · 1.4g carbs	40.1% ABV · 1.30 std	Any occasion
25	Quentin	5.5g sugar	5.5g	209 kcal · 7.3g carbs	24.7% ABV · 1.24 std	Any occasion

All nutrition values are estimates based on standard recipe quantities. — = data not available.

Best picks by use case

Lowest sugar

Mississippi Planters Punch

0.0g estimated sugar

~142 kcal · 0.0g sugar

Lowest calories

Shanghai Cocktail

~68 kcal estimated

~68 kcal · 0.0g sugar

Simplest recipe

Dark and Stormy

2 ingredients

~165 kcal · 5.0g sugar

Watch-out ingredients for sugar

Fruit juice (especially pineapple, mango, and passion fruit) — can add 10–15g sugar per 60ml serve
Flavoured liqueurs — most contain 10–20g sugar per 30ml, even ones that do not taste obviously sweet
Cordials and sweetened syrups — often 20–30g sugar per 30ml
Grenadine — very high in sugar, used in small amounts but counts
Fruit purées — natural sugar but still contributes meaningfully

Methodology

Is this guide right for you?

Good fit if:

You want to compare estimated sugar across cocktail recipes
You want to see ABV and standard drinks alongside sugar numbers
You want a data-backed shortlist rather than a generic recipe list

Poor fit if:

You assume very low sugar means low alcohol — some dry cocktails are still high-ABV
You need medical or dietary advice
You need exact bar-specific values — these are recipe estimates

Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: This page ranks rum cocktails by estimated sugar content. All 25 drinks come from the WhatDrink database and pass the same recipe quality filters used on individual cocktail pages.
What makes a rum cocktail lower in sugar?: The main driver of sugar in a cocktail is the sweetener — simple syrup, liqueur, juice, or flavoured spirit. Swapping syrup for bitters, soda water, or dry vermouth eliminates most added sugar. The base spirit itself contributes negligible sugar.
Which rum cocktail in this list has the least sugar?: Based on WhatDrink recipe data, Shanghai Cocktail comes out lowest in estimated sugar in this ranking. Actual values depend on pour size, brand of mixer, and how the drink is prepared.
Does lower sugar always mean a healthier drink?: Not necessarily. Alcohol contributes roughly 7 kcal per gram. A drink with low sugar but high ABV can still be high in overall calories. Always check multiple metrics together rather than focusing on one alone.
How should I use this page to choose a drink?: The table lets you compare rum cocktails side by side on sugar estimates. Click through to any individual cocktail page for the full ingredient list and nutrition breakdown. The "Top picks" panel highlights the best performers across multiple criteria.
How many rum cocktails are on this page?: This ranking includes 25 rum cocktails that pass WhatDrink's recipe quality and data completeness filters. The list updates as new recipes are added to the database.
Why focus on rum specifically?: Rum is the base spirit, which sets the alcohol foundation. The mixers and modifiers around it determine most of the sugar and calorie variation, making rum cocktails a useful controlled comparison.