The history of Jamaican rum dates back to the 1700s.
In an island that's reputed to have more rum bars per capita than anywhere else on Earth, rum is a serious matter for Jamaicans. Besides having it on the rocks, rum punch is the next most popular rum drink. There are many variations on this recipe, but the combination is what makes it truly Jamaican, says Bill Moore, Chairman of the Culinary Federation of Jamaica.
Instructions
1. Combine one part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong and four parts weak. That's the intoxicatingly Jamaican ratio, says Moore, of Pushcartfoods.com, a Jamaican road food website..
2. Mix 1 cup lime juice, 2 cups strawberry syrup (or other simple syrup), 3 cups white over-proof rum and 4 cups water, advises Pamella Powell, head of the culinary division of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) located in the capital of Kingston.
3. Use the juice from freshly squeezed limes, advises Rosemary Parkinson, author of "Nyam Jamaica," "Shake dat Cocktail" and "Culinaria: The Caribbean." That's a must, to keep the real Jamaican flavor, she notes. Parkinson also follows the one sour, two sweet, three strong, four weak combination used by Moore and the JCDC. Specifically, she uses fresh lime juice, sugar syrup, strong rum and for the "weak" combines half ice and half water.
4. Add up to one extra part water, if the lime juice is particularly strong, advises Jennifer Mullings, an American who has lived in Jamaica for more than 20 years and manages a small resort just outside the Jamaica tourist town of Negril.
5. Substitute other exotic ingredients for the water, if you must, "just don't mess with the rum" (and pick your brand well), advises Moore. People are now adding pineapple, grenadine and other juices and calling it rum punch and this trend may or may not have been started by Jamaicans, says Parkinson.
Tags: lime juice, strong four, sweet three