Ia Orana everyone! Despite the cool and chilly weather, I find myself thinking of the tropics after this week’s adventure, “The Tiki Room”. We pass the well known, the obvious Tiki beverages that gained popularity in more recent times and look to the recipe that inspired them all. The Planter’s Punch!
Planter’s Punch has many variations and many options. In fact you may have heard the ditty that describes the oldest versions of the reciepe:“One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak”
This would be lime or lemon juice, sugar, rum and water. The recipe has its origins in Jamaica. What with the rum, cane sugar, citrus, named “Planter’s”, this is not much of a surprise. The link to tiki is that it is a rum punch, brought to Los Angeles by Don the Beachcomber and served as inspiration for the other rum-fueled drinks he became so well known for.
- 2 oz Dark Jamaican Rum (Coruba is a Tiki standard)
- ½ oz lime juice
- 1 oz lemon juice
- 1 tsp simple syrup
Shake in an ice filled cocktail shaker and strain into a tall ice filled glass. Top with water or soda, to taste. Garnish with, well, anything you please! A fruit salad would not be out of place, impaled on a toothpick and draped upon the rim of the glass. Nearly everyone has concocted their own variations with light and dark rums, fruit juices and syrups. I chose one that is near to the one suggested by the original ditty, but do not be afraid to improvise and come up with your own! Some immediate variations to inspire you: Add 1oz grenadine, or 1 dash angostura bitters. Substitute in grapefruit juice, or mango.
Manuia!