Countries and cities that fall in the Caribbean region have a cultural history of embracing all things rum. The classification among those in the Caribbean region, I am told, is very clear — white rum for cocktails and fruit cups, dark rum to be drunk neat, on the rocks, in Cuba Libre or even in cocktails.
Countries and cities that fall in the Caribbean region have a cultural history of embracing all things rum. The classification among those in the Caribbean region, I am told, is very clear — white rum for cocktails and fruit cups, dark rum to be drunk neat, on the rocks, in Cuba Libre or even in cocktails. I noticed how despite each country having strong preferences of liquor and cocktails, the Rum Punch in this region is a unanimous choice of cocktail/fruit cup to be sipped on the beaches or as an aperitif. At its core, a punch is an alcoholic beverage mixed with fruit juices and fruits. American sitcoms have rendered it a Frat Party choice of cheap booze mixed with other cheap booze, fruit juice and some seasonal fruits. But in the West Indies and even in the Caribbean cities in Colombia, there’s so much more to it. Bajan Rum Punch is one of the oldest rum punches and has a rather simple recipe. The Bajan (short for Barbadian meaning “from Barbados”) Punch comes with a little ditty that makes it easy for a novice bartender to remember the proportions involved: “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.” That essentially means one part limejuice, two parts of simple sugar half and half, three parts of local Bajan rum and four parts of water. With a splash of bitters and a hint of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, this is a refreshing summer drink. When I travelled from Bridgetown, Barbados to Castries, St. Lucia, I saw how the proportions and the ingredients were altered based on availability and cuisine. St. Lucians lay emphasis on the fruit juice being freshly squeezed. They add either dark or white rum, but like to experiment with spiced white rum too, to add a new dimension to the flavour of the punch. While the Bajan Punch is generally rum-heavy and strong, the St. Lucian version is fruitier, therefore more acidic. The Grenadine syrup makes a big difference to the taste as well. Most of the bartenders I’ve spoken to in India and internationally encourage the use of as many local and seasonal ingredients as possible in cocktails, something that is followed even with the Rum Punch. I experienced this in Cartagena, Colombia, when a bartender at the quaint La Mulata restaurant made me a punch with tamarind juice instead of limejuice and added cut pieces of mango in it. Even in Barranquilla, at the Ambigu restaurant, the genial bartender made an innovative rendition called the Guayaba Rum Punch. Made with Havana Club Especial rum, guava and limejuice, honey syrup instead of the sugar syrup, topped with ginger beer, the bartender checked every box with an innovation of his own. If you want to try this at home, how about using the Bajan recipe as a reference point and experimenting with seasonal fruits in India and some homegrown spice
