The best way to drink rum – good rum – is just like Zack Chasteen does: neat. The next best way is on the rocks with a squeeze of lime.

Beyond that, the best thing you can do is not step on the rum by fancifying it too much. There’s an old saying in Jamaica that applies to making rum drinks: “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.” It really doesn’t need to get any fancier than that, especially when you’re using good rum, although I do like to add a dash of bitters just to give the concoction some extra gumption.

The above proportions roughly translate to the following measurements, but they can be tweaked depending on how juicy your limes are and how much you love your rum.

Ingredients

1/2 Lime, Juiced
2 teaspoons sugar
2 oz. good, dark rum
Splash of water
Dash of Angostura Bitters
crushed ice

Squeeze lime into cocktail glass, muddle the sugar in it, then add the rum and muddle some more. Add a little water and the bitters. Fill the glass with ice and joogle it all around with a spoon. Taste, maybe add some more sugar (or more rum.)