Sweet Tea Rum Punch

Author Notes

Centuries ago in Barbados, this wondrously adaptable recipe was frequently employed in plantation houses. To this day in the West Indies this rhythmic ratio is enshrined both as a cultural relic of a bygone era, as well as a culinary icon that island folk still employ. Its ease and reliability has traveled throughout the Caribbean and it’s one of those storied recipes passed down from generation to the next by rich oral tradition. In the 18th century making of Rum Punch: lime, sugar, dark rum and water were the only ingredients employed, and sometimes a shower of grated nutmeg. In that era, plantation owners and men of import would carry silver, pocket-sized, nutmeg graters for the sole purpose of garnishing their rum punch (to procure one of those graters today would set you back a couple thousand dollars). A lot has changed with the ingredients and implementation of Rum Punch the world over and this sweet tea version is a testament to the sublime adaptability of a simple cocktail recipe. When it comes to the perennial Caribbean staple, however, the essentials never change, and the essential here is the ratio: 1 part sour, 2 parts sweet, 3 parts strong, 4 parts weak. —Brigid Washington