The punch comes from the Indian word “panch” which means five. The five refers to the five ingredients of sour, sweet, strong, weak and spice. The poem for rum punch goes: One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak, a dash of bitters and a sprinkle of spice, serve well chilled with plenty of ice.

You will need the following ingredients:

One measure of lime juice, freshly squeezed
Two measures of sugar syrup – see the method
Three measures of dark Caribbean rum, the older, the better
Four measures of water
Dash of Angostura Bitters and freshly grated nutmeg

Place two measures of sugar in a saucepan with a little water and cook until the sugar has dissolved and added to the juice.

Add the rum and water. A good quality passion fruit juice can be used instead of water but reduce the syrup slightly.

Serve with plenty of ice, a dash of bitters and a grating of nutmeg.

Author: Brett Callaghan