Cannonball Cocktail

A two-pour rum highball of orange juice and cola over ice with a lime wedge. Two ounces of orange-flavoured rum, four ounces of cola, served in an old-fashioned glass. Drinks dark-citrus and casual, like a Cuba Libre with the orange dialled up.

Cannonball Cocktail

4.34 from 36 votes

Calories: 72kcal

Prep Time: 3

Total Time: 5

Ingredients

▢ 2 oz Orange Juice
▢ 4 oz Cola

Instructions

▢
Pour the Orange rum into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes.
▢
Top with coke with a slice of lime, and serve.

Estimated Nutrition:

Calories: 72kcal (4%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Potassium: 2mgSugar: 18g (20%)

Cocktail

Where it came from

The Cannonball is an American casual highball that lives in the long-rum-and-cola lane. The build pairs orange-flavoured rum with cola and a splash of orange juice, served over ice with a lime garnish. The recipe is older than the name; rum-and-cola pours have been a back-bar staple since the 1900 Cuban-American period.

It sits in the long-rum family with the Cuba Libre, the Mojito and the Dark and Stormy. All three lean on rum plus a non-alcoholic mixer for the casual-pour character. The Cannonball separates itself with the orange-rum lead and the cola finish, which delivers a deeper colour and a sweeter character than the standard white-rum builds.

Best ordered at a beach bar, a backyard barbeque or any casual-pour setting, not at a craft cocktail bar. The drink is approachable, sweet-citrus-and-cola, and easy to scale up for a group.

What it tastes like

Bright orange citrus up front, soft rum and cola through the middle, sharp lime peel on the finish. The orange juice cuts through the cola sweetness and gives the drink a brighter character than a straight Cuba Libre. Reads as a long casual highball, not a stiff cocktail.

Around 9 percent ABV in the glass once mixed. Two ounces of orange rum at 35 percent ABV stretched over four ounces of cola gives a low-strength long pour; the drink is closer to a long mixer than a stiff cocktail. Each old-fashioned glass holds about six ounces of the mixed drink.

The technique

Pour two ounces of orange-flavoured rum into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Top with four ounces of cold cola. Add a slice of lime, stir gently with a bar spoon, and serve. Total build time, fifteen seconds.

The cola needs to be cold and freshly opened for the carbonation lift; flat cola kills the texture. Stir gently to keep the bubbles intact; do not shake. Add the lime slice at the end so the citrus oils sit on top of the drink for the first sip.

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Ingredient Spotlight

The bottles that make or break this drink.

The orange rum

Use: Bacardi O, Captain Morgan Orange or any orange-flavoured rum at 35 percent ABV.
Skip: White rum with orange bitters. Different concentration, weaker orange note.
Why: Orange rum is the lead flavour and the colour. The infused-spirit format delivers a sharper orange character than relying on the orange juice alone; without it the drink reads as a Cuba Libre with a splash.

The cola

Use: Coca-Cola or Pepsi, full-sugar, freshly opened.
Skip: Diet cola or zero-sugar cola. Wrong sweetness curve.
Why: Full-sugar cola is the volume and the dark-caramel finish. The kola-nut and vanilla notes round off the rum and the citrus; diet cola loses the caramel character and the drink reads thin.

Three Variations

Three real ways bartenders riff on this drink. Same idea, three different jackets.

The standard build

Cannonball, over ice: Two ounces orange rum and four ounces cola in an old-fashioned glass with ice, lime slice garnish. Stir gently.

The double build

Big Cannonball: Multiply each ingredient by two and serve in a highball glass with crushed ice. Longer pour, same flavour balance.

The dry build

Cannonball with soda: Swap the cola for soda water plus a quarter ounce of orange syrup. Loses the cola sweetness, holds the orange-and-rum balance.

What if I don't have…

Quick substitutions for when the bottle shop is closed.

No orange rum?

White rum plus a quarter ounce of orange liqueur (Cointreau or triple sec). Different concentration, holds the orange character.

No cola?

Root beer or Dr Pepper. Different sweetness profile, holds the dark-caramel finish.

No fresh lime?

Bottled lime juice plus a teaspoon of lime zest. Different texture, holds the citrus accent.

No old-fashioned glass?

Any rocks glass or short tumbler works. The volume is the constraint, not the glassware.

Frequently Asked Questions

Direct answers to what people search for after Googling this drink.

What is in a Cannonball cocktail?

Two ounces of orange-flavoured rum, four ounces of cola and a slice of lime, served in an old-fashioned glass with ice. Three ingredients, casual highball build.

Why is it called a Cannonball?

The name suggests a heavy direct shot to the gut, riffing on the dark colour and the cola weight in the glass. The recipe is older than the name; rum-and-cola pours have been a staple since the early 1900s.

How strong is a Cannonball?

Around 9 percent ABV in the glass once mixed. Roughly equal to one and a quarter standard drinks per six-ounce serving.

What does it taste like?

Bright orange citrus up front, soft rum and cola through the middle, sharp lime peel on the finish. Reads as a casual long highball with a brighter orange character than a Cuba Libre.

Can I use white rum?

Yes. White rum plus a quarter ounce of orange liqueur is the standard substitute when orange rum is not on the shelf. The flavour balance shifts slightly toward the cola.

What is the best cola?

Coca-Cola is the standard pour for the kola-nut and vanilla notes. Pepsi works as an alternative with a slightly sweeter profile. Avoid diet or zero-sugar; the drink reads thin without the full-sugar caramel character.

Can I batch the Cannonball?

Yes. Mix two parts orange rum to four parts cola in a pitcher; pour over ice in individual glasses at service. Add the lime slice per glass at service for the citrus-oil lift on the first sip.

What other rum highballs are similar?

A Cuba Libre, a Dark and Stormy, a Mojito and a Hurricane. All four lean on rum plus a non-alcoholic mixer for the casual-pour highball character.

From the Drink Lab catalogue

Drink Lab has been collecting cocktail recipes since 2013. Some we wrote ourselves, plenty came in from readers, and the rest got passed across a bar somewhere along the way.

Last updated May 8, 2026 · 1 min read