Nut in the Caribbean

I’m really missing the Caribbean and the wonderful warm weather that is synonymous with the tropical islands. I’m also missing all the Rum Punches so I wanted to make one at home while we are mixing up cocktails in Nan’s garage. This cocktail pays homage to not only the classic Rum Punch but also our amazing adventure to Barbados where we visited a number of the rum distilleries and had the honor of meeting up with a local entrepreneur who is educating locals on how to be better behind the bar.

We were fortunate to be able to sit in on one of their classes and taste a number of cocktails they were mixing and it was really inspiring to see the work that was going on. I had a bottle of Monin Banana Syrup and thought it would work deliciously with the hazelnut Frangelico to balance the bright white rum and lemon juice. In the end, those ingredients alone still left some residual sweetness in the cocktail, however, after adding Peychaud’s bitters it all came together. It was almost perfect, though there was one ingredient that I learned was the most crucial in any Rum Punch; the nutmeg. It seems like a simple ingredient that you could leave out if you really wanted, but, after taste testing a number of these delicious libations around the bars in Barbados I soon realized you can really judge a Rum Punch based on the use of nutmeg and from now on if there is no nutmeg it is not a Rum Punch.

Recipe:

• 2 ounces white rum
• ¾ ounce Frangelico
• ¾ ounce lemon juice
• ¾ ounce banana syrup
• 5-6 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:

1. Combine rum, Frangelico lemon juice, and banana syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice
2. Shake to chill and combine ingredients
3. Strain over crushed ice in a brandy glass
4. Dash Peychaud’s bitters over the cocktail
5. Grate nutmeg over the cocktail
6. Garnish & Enjoy!