Finally, after the harsh winter, we are preparing to live the full spring and summer season: every self-respecting change of season, however, follows a significant shift of cocktails with which to accompany our days. It is the time of the Long drinks to drink at any time of the day (or almost) thanks to their fruity additions that allow you to quench your thirst both during a hot afternoon sitting by the pool and during the most classic of pre-evenings. Planter’s Punch is one of them. Its exotic flavor is disputed by Jamaica and Barbados: what we are sure of is at this point the Caribbean DNA of the cocktail and its island imagery. The origin of the drink – or at least what is supposed to be such – is much less romantic: let’s rediscover it, together with the recipe to offer friends a timeless mixture.
Planter’s Punch: the history of the cocktail
As often happens for certain types of drinks, the origins of Planter’s Punch are lost over time and are not extremely clear, also due to the lack of reliable sources. The date of the invention of the cocktail generally coincides with 1878, but this is due to the fact that in that year his recipe appears in the English magazine Fun. In fact, it is quite credited that its birth dates back a long time before. Today it is agreed that it comes to light as a plantation drink: the purpose is to quench the thirst of workers by sweetening the rums of dubious quality intended for them by adding sugar and lemon juice primarily. Other theories, such as the one that wants it patented at the Planter Hotel in Missouri or alternatively at the Planters Hotel in South Carolina no longer enjoy a great following. With the passage of time this raw and unable mixture evolves and refines to become the thirst-quenching rum punch that is essential today during the hottest days.
Planter’s Punch: the recipe
The IBA, the main reference body for bartenders or aspiring bartenders, codifies in 2020 the latest official recipe of Planter’s Punch limiting it to the three ingredients of tradition: to compose this drink in a textbook version you, therefore, need 4.5 cl of Jamaican rum, 1.5 cl of lime juice and 3 cl of sugar syrup. Simple as that. Then you have to put everything in a shaker, shake vigorously for a time of at least 12 seconds, and finally pour it into a tumbler with ice. For an effective tasting and a greater dilution of the flavor, the guides generally recommend adding a little water or fresh juice: as a grand finale do not forget to decorate with the inevitable orange peel or add fruit. The cherries are perfect to combine freshness and elegance and complete the cocktail also in the look as well as in the taste.
The IBA 2011 recipe
For a matter of completeness of the information (and maybe give you some additional ideas), we also point out the existence of the previous IBA encoding: it dates back to 2011 and actually differs largely from the current version. First of all, it does not have the characteristic lime juice that is replaced by a mixture consisting of orange juice (3.5 cl), pineapple juice (3.5 cl), and lemon juice (2 cl). In addition, the further dilution is entrusted to two syrups: the grenadine-based one and the sugar-based one. The drink then takes its final form through the addition of 3 or 4 drops of Angostura bitters, which to be honest some recipes also include in the current version. Depending on the taste of those who prepare it, you can choose to adopt this element in the present by inserting it into your Planter’s Punch.
Planter’s Punch: which Rum to use?
Although the recipe is in all respects quite simple, the Planter’s Punch is not free from pitfalls: the main one concerns the balance of the ingredients, essential in guaranteeing taste and freshness to our long drink without accentuating too much one or the other of the ingredients at stake. The focal element is undoubtedly the Jamaican rum, and the result of the preparation depends on the choice of this ingredient: each brand has in fact particular features that involve this or that additional detail that inevitably makes the difference. Which rum is, therefore, better to use for our Planter’s Punch? Among the most famous (but above all available without excessive difficulty) on the market, we point out the Appleton 12, the Wray & Nephew, the Smith & Cross, and the Rum Fire. The non-plus ultra, in this case, is probably represented by Myers’s, a well-known Jamaican company that owes its worldwide fame to the ability to spread its winning role in the preparation of Planter’s Punch as a trademark.
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