Barbados Rum Punch

The first time I went to Barbados, I arrived during Crop Over Festival – weeks of party that culminates in the wild fun of Kadooment Day. As I walked from the plane to the tiny airport terminal, I heard the steel drums. Suddenly, I was handed a glass of Barbados Rum Punch. As the lovely liquid passed my lips, I knew that I would like this island – a lot.

Later, with the help of my niece, who batted her lashes at a love-stuck bartender, we obtained the recipe. “One sour, two sweet, three strong, four weak.” I’ve since modified the “weak” (water) to just two, as the ice adds more “weak” as it melts. Of course, on a hot summer day, the ice doesn’t get much of a chance to melt.

You’ll want to use a light golden Caribbean rum for this drink. I prefer simple syrup made from cane sugar for this drink, but a regular white sugar simple syrup works as well. Mix up a glass or mix up a large batch. Then drift off to the beaches of Barbados and the reggae music of Kadooment Day.

Ingredients (1 drink)

1 jigger fresh lime juice

2 jiggers simple syrup

3 jiggers light rum

2 jiggers water

Ice cubes

1. In a glass, mix the lime juice, syrup, rum, and water until blended well. Add ice cubes to fill glass.