The punch comes from the Indian word “panch,” which means five. The five refers to the 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 sugar measures 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 reduces syrup slightly.

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

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