rum punch Archives | CaribbeanPot.com

We have an abundance of outstanding fruits in the Caribbean so it’s only natural that we make some of the best punch/drinks in the world. Debatable? Absolutely not! That brilliant Caribbean sunshine allows us to enjoy juicy, sweet and refreshing fruits, fresh off the tree. Unfortunately.. for some reason we’re still addicted to ‘sugar’ as a people and it’s truly a shame as there are ways we can avoid the use of additional sugars in our drinks.

* It’s very important that the watermelon, mango and oranges are sweet, so you don’t have to add any added sweetener.

You’ll Need…

1 med/large watermelon
1-2 cups mango (ripe)
3-5 oranges
2 grapefruit
2 limes
1 lime
3-5 drops of mixed essence (almond extract will work great)

* Add a few drops of bitters if you’d like a slightly different taste (wonderful). If you feel the need to add a sweetener, I’d recommend agave or honey.. pure cane sugar will also work well.

As we did when making the watermelon juice, you’ll need to cut the watermelon into chunks and puree into a liquid. I added the cubed mango into the blender at the same time as the watermelon (my mango was frozen)

Strain the watermelon/mango juice into a large bowl (to remove any thick pulp) and get ready to juice the other ingredients into the same bowl. Now add the juice from the oranges, grapefruit, lime and lemons. Stir well and skim off any frothy bit at the top of the bowl.

Go in with the mixed essence, place in a jug and chill in the fridge for a few hours so you don’t have to water-down by adding ice when it’s served to your guests this summer. In case you’re wondering, mixed essence is basically distilled water, oil of almond, pineapple, pear, vanilla, strawberry, citric acid, caramel and sodium benzoate.

With only the natural sugars from the fruits, it’s a more healthy choice for you and your children, so there’s no real guilt if they have a glass or two on those hot summer days. Before you do anything else, you can go and toss out those packages of Kool Aid you have. Go in with a bit or orange liquor and rum (tequila will work too) and you have the makings for a super adult beverage.

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Drinks

Sorrel Cranberry Rum Punch Recipe.

February 22, 2015December 11, 20148 Comments

Bring drinks! The holiday season in the Caribbean is all about music, food, family and drinks. Not in that order but you get the picture – fun and merriment! As a kid I looked forward to a chilled glass of sorrel, made from the fresh harvested petals of the Hibiscus sabdariffa plant, which we usually had planted in our kitchen garden. Living in North America means that sourcing fresh sorrel is almost impossible and when you can, it’s insanely expensive. However we’re very lucky in Southern Ontario to have well stocked stores with the dried sorrel petals. Personally I much prefer using the dried stuff now as I find that the ‘sorrel’ flavor is much more pungent. Today we’ll take the traditional way of making sorrel, toss in some cranberries and spike things with some wicked Caribbean rum, for what I believe is an outstanding holiday Caribbean rum punch.

You’ll Need…

3-4 cups dried sorrel
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cup sugar
8-12 cups water
1 stick cinnamon
1 star anise
1 orange (cut into wedges)

thick slice of ginger

1 cup rum (or more)
3 dashes angostura bitters
slices of orange (garnish)

Note: Since fresh cranberries is widely available in North America this time of the year, originally I wanted to use the fresh stuff. However knowing that it would be easier to source dried cranberries (around the world), I went with the dried stuff. If using fresh cranberries I would use about 2-3 cups of it.

Put the sorrel, cranberries, star anise, cinnamon and orange wedges (you can squeezed the juice of the oranges directly into the pot – keep the skin in there) and top with the water. Bring to a boil, then add the sugar and reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes (stir well after adding the sugar to dissolve and sweeten). Turn the stove off and let the mixture steep for about 2 hours.

The mixture will take on a rich deep red color and your kitchen will take on the lovely aroma of the season (smells like Christmas). Be careful when doing this step as if it spills it may stain. It should be cool now, so strain (you may have to do this a couple times) into a clean jug or punch bowl and get ready to give it the kick good rum punch MUST possess! Discard the strained stuff.

Taste for sugar (adjust to your liking), add the bitters and go in with as much rum as you like. I used white rum as I wanted the flavors of the sorrel, cranberries and slight hint of cinnamon to really shine. but if you want it more spicy, you can use a spiced dark rum. You’ll also notice that I didn’t add any cloves as in making traditional sorrel.. I personally believe it would be too spicy.

Chill and serve with some slices of orange and remember if you’re adding ice, keep that in mind when sweetening (so it doesn’t get watered down). A perfect twist on both traditional rum punch and Caribbean sorrel drink.. Do leave out the rum if you’re giving the kids some sips! Those kids can get rowdy when intoxicated!

Drinks

Big People Lemonade?

December 3, 2014October 24, 20134 Comments

Give the kids some chocolate milk and let’s proceed to make a drink for the grown! Our family home like so many in the Caribbean was surrounded by citrus trees… oranges, grapefruit, shaddock, limes and lemons. Basically we were never out of freshly made juice with our meals and on those scorching Caribbean days when an ice-cold glass of juice would hit the spot. Though I don’t have access to the variety of citrus fruits these days, here’s a concoction I made up in true island style.

Granted as a young fella there wouldn’t be any rum in our ‘lemonade’, but with the holidays quickly approaching I thought I’d add some to get us in the festive mood.

You’ll Need…

3 lemons
3 limes
4 juice oranges *
5 cups water
3 drops Angostura bitters
1 teaspoon mixed essence
1 cup sugar (adjust accordingly)
3/4 cup white rum

* 3 lemon and 3 orange slices for adding some brightness to the jug.

Note: Juice oranges are a bit smaller than the everyday oranges, have seeds and it’s juice is well balanced between sweet and tart. Mixed essence can be found at most Caribbean specialty grocery stores. BTW if you want to make this like the spike drinks you get at the liquor stores, you can replace the rum with vodka.

Juice all the citrus fruits mentioned above, and strain into a big bowl so you can prevent seeds from getting in. Then it’s just a matter of adding all the other ingredients and giving it a good whisk.

Tip: Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups (off the 5 mentioned in the ingredients list) of warm water, so it dissolves faster. After you’ve mixed everything together you can pour it into your serving jug, add some ice (or chill in the fridge) and top with some slices of fruit to give the jug a punch of color and to make people really thirsty when the see it. If rum is not your thing you can leave it out and have a virgin drink the entire family can enjoy. If rum IS your thing.. you can certainly go a bit heavier.

* do not add ice if you plan on serving later, it will only water-down the drink.

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Desserts Drinks

Guinness Punch.

February 7, 2013February 7, 201313 Comments

This is one of those “big people” drinks we enjoy in the Caribbean and it’s rumored to give you extra energy and vitality in the bedroom. I’m sure as you make your way up and down the Caribbean islands you’ll find variations to this Guinness punch recipe, so use this one as a base and feel free to give it your own personal touch. Add some vanilla ice cream, maybe an egg and I’m sure some freshly grated orange zest will add more excitement to this drink.

You’ll Need…

1 Guinness
1 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup milk (2 %)
8 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk *
pinch nutmeg
1 cup ice
2 drops Angostura bitters
pinch cinnamon

This is so easy and quick to put together it will become one of your go-to drinks when you’re looking for a little excitement in your life. Basically all you have to do is place all the ingredients mentioned above in a blender and give it a good pulse and you’re good to go.

Remember to not overfill your blender or risk it overflowing as you blend it together (can go foamy). The idea is to have a rich, creamy drink with a lovely sweet undertone. You may need to adjust the condensed milk to satisfy your liking. Serve immediately for best results.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Drinks

The Ultimate Caribbean Rum Punch.

November 3, 2014December 23, 201231 Comments

When most people think about the Caribbean (if you’ve never lived on the islands) one of the things which comes to mind is sipping on a cold glass of rum punch, decorated with slices of fresh fruit while sitting taking in the rays on white sandy beach (or a swim-up bar at an all-inclusive resort). Truth be told, rum punch is not as common a drink with locals as you would think. A more classic drink would be rum and coke or if you were in Cuba, a Mojito and if in Puerto Rico, it would be Piña Colada.

I’m going back to my “ultimate” series and in doing so, give you what I think is the perfect rum punch recipe.

You’ll Need…

1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups grenadine syrup
2 cups rum (Caribbean rum)
1 cup coconut rum
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
5-8 drops of Angostura bitters
dash nutmeg

Orange slices, for garnish
Pineapple slices, for garnish

Notes. The traditional way of making rum punch is to use a strong white rum, but I much prefer a dark rum as I love the undertones you get from it. If you don’t have Grenadine, use a simple syrup or if you have a cane juice syrup that would work well also. Be sure to add crushed or cubed ice before serving.

The only real work here is to squeeze the limes for that freshly squeezed juice we need (you’ll need about 8 limes). Basically all you have to do is add all the ingredients mentioned above into a large container, mix well and put in the fridge to chill.

If you’d like you can also add 1 cup of carbonated water to the mix before serving for that extra zing. Then pour into your serving jug or punch bowl, add some ice and watch your guests hover around as they enjoy what is sure to be the ultimate rum punch. Remember to garnish with slices of orange to make everything look pretty. Speaking about punch bowl, I recall my mom had one and to this day I’ve never seen any punch in that thing. My dad used it for tossing receipts and other things from his pocket.. that’s where you’d also find our house keys as well.

Do remember this holiday season to partake in the beverages in moderation and NEVER drink and drive. BTW, you’ll get about 10 cups of rum punch from this recipe and more if you add the carbonated water and ice.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

rum punch

Classic Tropical Fruit Punch – With No Added Sugar.

Sorrel Cranberry Rum Punch Recipe.

Big People Lemonade?

Guinness Punch.

The Ultimate Caribbean Rum Punch.

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