Rum punch originated in the Caribbean, where sugar cane was abundant. It is a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy ingredients and can be served hot or cold. The most popular variation is the planter punch, which typically includes lime juice, simple syrup, rum, and water. Other variations may include different types of fruit juice and spices.
The invention of spirited rum is credited to the New World, and particularly the Caribbean, where sugar cane proliferated and became the inspiration for rum. Previously, in Europe, most types of punch were mixed drinks with wine or brandy as the base alcohol. Usually such drinks contained some citrus flavoring, some spices, and perhaps honey as a sweetener. It wasn’t until 1655 that rum would become available in Europe, and there are several explanations for how rum punch got its name.
Rum was shipped in barrels called puncheons, which could have been used to mix large quantities of punch. Alternatively, the term panch, a Hindi word, describes a drink made from sugar, lemon, water, tea, spices, and possibly arrack, a fermented drink that can be made from sugar cane, thus resembling rum. Rum punch is quite similar to its ancestors, a combination of sweet, sour and spicy ingredients, which can be served hot or cold.
There are actually many variations on rum punch, and the most popular of these is undoubtedly the planter punch. A 1908 poem, published in the New York Times, suggests the ingredients list. This rum punch is likely to predate the poem by far. An extract describes the basic ingredients:
Take two of acid (Let it be the lime)
At half past one sweet,
Of old Jamaica pour three forts,
And add four parts of weak.
Then stir and drink…
For those who prefer a simple explanation, this type of rum punch would be two parts lime juice, one and a half parts simple syrup (grenadine can be used), three parts rum, and four parts water, typically carbonated. . You can add bitters. Some recipes call for a little cayenne pepper, which gives the drink a bit of a kick. The poem suggests drinking punch cold and on hot days.
Other types of rum punch can substitute for various ingredients. Mostly though, you’ll find a blend of citrus flavoring, lots of rum, and possibly different types of fruit juice and spices. Some recipes call for the addition of other alcohols such as triple sec.
All kinds of punches had their heyday in Europe. You can’t go through a Dickens novel without encountering incidences of punch references, often rendered warm, usually using brandy as the main component. These drinks resemble rum punch but can only differ in the alcohols used. Today, however, you’re very likely to encounter rum punch as served in the Caribbean, though you can certainly order cold versions at any local bar for some island flavor, without travel.
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