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Cocktail History
The Queen’s Park Swizzle is a classic cocktail that was created in the early 1900s at the Queen’s Park Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It’s similar to the Mojito because it’s also made with rum, citrus, and mint leaves muddled in simple syrup, but it calls for a dark overproof Demerara rum and is topped with Trinidad’s own Angostura aromatic bitters.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Demerara Rum: This is a type of rum made in Guyana with sugarcane, spices, and water that has been barrel aged. This recipe specifically calls for an overproof demerara rum, but I used Angostura 7-Year-Old Rum because it has a rich, full-bodied flavor with notes of honey, chocolate, maple, and toffee.
Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.
Simple Syrup: This is a sweetener made with white sugar and water. I made mine using this stovetop recipe.
Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Aromatic Bitters.
Mint Leaves: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint leaves.
Mint Sprig: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Muddler: This is used to muddle ingredients. I used the HQY Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Swizzle Stick: This is used to mix the ingredients. I used the Piña Barware Stainless Steel Swizzle Stick.
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Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Green, yellow, and orange-red color with an ombré effect
• Aroma: Mint and spices
• Taste: Fruity sweet flavor with rum’s grassy notes sweetened with lime and tingly bitters
• Finish: Spice-laced menthol notes
Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kendall’s Take: “I didn’t expect to enjoy this drink quite as much as I did! Usually, I’m not too big on layered cocktails, but the spicy bitters and mint play really well with the rum. I did end up using a pretty strong yet delicious rum from Angostura in place of Demerara rum, and it was still very tasty. Rum is the most prominent flavor, for sure, so I’d be careful which ones you used in this. I don’t know that I’d make the Queen’s Park Swizzle again, but I enjoyed tasting it.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2025-02-09.
Queen’s Park Swizzle
The Queen's Park Swizzle is a classic cocktail that was created in the early 1900s at the Queen's Park Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad. It's similar to the Mojito because it's also made with rum, citrus, and mint leaves muddled in simple syrup, but it calls for a dark overproof Demerara rum and is topped with Trinidad's own Angostura aromatic bitters.

Ingredients
Method
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Add simple syrup and mint leaves to a highball glass.
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Muddle gently for 5-7 seconds.
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Add rum, lime juice, and cracked ice to glass.
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Top with bitters.
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Stir gently with a swizzle stick for 5-10 seconds.
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Garnish with mint sprig.