Caribbean Rum Punch

This is an adult drink and contains alcohol so if you’re under 21 please close your eyes and don’t continue reading.

I like my drinks to be seasonal. We all have our favorite drinks, but why not vary it up some according to the season and weather outside? Here is a terrific recipe that I found online at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caribbean-rum-punch. I have added my own tweak to it of course, but let me tell you, this is a really good drink. It is smooth, perfect for Summer, and a delight to drink. I will warn you though to watch how fast you drink these. You can have a couple and be fine, but if you start drinking too quickly this drink will sneak up on you. It isn’t called a “punch” for nothing! So, as always, drink responsibly.

Caribbean Rum Punch

Ingredients:

*1 cup fresh squeezed and strained lime juice – You’ll need approximately 5-6 limes for this.
*2 cups simple syrup – You can use store bought or make your own, I’ll share my recipe for this below.
*3 cups amber/dark rum
*4 cups orange-pineapple juice – I bought the generic Kroger variety for this and it is delicious. You can use all orange juice or a mixture of other tropical-esque juice as you see fit, but the orange-pineapple is delicious!
* 4 splashes bitters
* A good splash (approximately a TB or two worth) grenadine syrup
* ¼ tsp ground nutmeg


*For Serving – Either a large punch bowl will work or if you intend to keep it longer, you’ll need a gallon jug.


Directions:

1. First, like I said I make my own simple syrup because it truly is simple to make. Simply heat up equal parts water and sugar in a pot on the stove, letting it cook down just a little so that it is more than just dissolved sugar in water. I get this going on the stove while I’m mixing together the rest of the punch.

2. Mix lime juice, rum, orange-pineapple juice, bitters, grenadine syrup, and nutmeg in either the punch bowl or gallon jug.

3. If you’re container is glass, you’ll want to let the simple syrup cool down before adding it to the rest of the punch to make sure the glass doesn’t break. Once it is cooled, add simple syrup and blend well.

4. Serve immediately over ice or refrigerate and serve later.

*Special Notes - Now, if you've ever had a cocktail made by me you know that my drinks tend to be strong, so please pay special attention to my following "heads up" because it isn't something you'll likely hear me say often --- Do NOT mess around with the booze-to-everything else ratio here!!!!  I made this mistake while trying to finish off the end of a rum bottle.  I thought I could add a little more juice to balance it out.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't GOOD.  Totally drinkable, but not "hey bitches, check THIS drink out" drinkable.  Get it?  So, follow the recipe if you know what is good for you.



See?  It fills up almost a gallon jug!  So, oh hell yes, this IS the Summer drink!!