This is a drink that is tarnished quite heavily with the slave trade of the time. Curiously enough, there are no recorded “recipes” for the time of slavery or even during the American Revolution. Either way, this drink and the PUNCH cocktail in general are amazing renditions of rums true versatility in the mixology scene.
HISTORY
Since mid 1600s, English territories were the sugar cane powerhouses (as they continue to be today). The molasses trade was leveraged also by the New England colonies to create their rum. These colonies, primarily Rhode Island, were known to take their rum over seas for months at a time and sell to African colonies in exchange for slaves.
This didn’t have much of an impact on the economy, and was not an integral part by far. But this set the tone for the quantities of rum that were able to be produced on the Caribbean islands.
The main cocktail during that time? You guessed it… PUNCH. The name “planter’s punch” became akin to an “old-fashioned cocktail”, as it is more of a STYLE of drink than a drink in itself. There have been countless variations as decades have passed from multiple bartenders and beverage programs across the country.
There are of course, multiple stories that take the shot at pinpointing its origin. One account says that it is called Planter’s because of a Jamaican planter’s wife that served the drink for workers on the plantation to keep them refreshed.
Another account, is from the Planter’s Hotel, in the 1930s. Jerry Thomas was said to have worked at the beverage program at the time, and the hotel claims the fame. The hotel is based in St. Louis, Missouri. The structure of the drink, is quite simple, based on the centuries-old standard of a punch: 1 sour – 2 sweet – 3 strong – 4 weak – 5 spice.
The drink was also seen early 1920s at the Myrtle Bank Hotel in Kingston. The recipe claimed there included pineapple and orange juice.
RECIPE
Even though the “original recipe” and its origins are a bit foggy due to its popularity and wide array of people and places claiming it to be their “original creation”, the Planter’s Punch is a drink that can be enjoyed by just about anybody due to its refreshing qualities and flavor.
This is the recipe I learned from my bar mentor, Christopher James, and absolutely love it.
1.5oz (45mL) dark Jamaican rum, like Smith and Cross Navy Strength
0.5oz (15mL) Broadbent madeira 10 year wine
0.5oz (15mL) demerara syrup (2:1)
0.75oz (22mL) fresh lime juice
Whip shake all ingredients with a cube or two of crushed ice, just to get mixture cold. Then, make sure the collins glass you are using is chilled also. Pour the cocktail into the chilled, empty collins glass. Add crushed ice into the collins glass until 3/4 full. Stir gently with a bar spoon to incorporate. Crown the cocktail with more crushed ice and add about 3-4 dashes of angostura bitters on the crown of the cocktail.
Garnish: mint sprig and lime wheel
“This recipe I give to thee, Dear brother in the heat. Take two of sour (lime let it be) to one and a half of sweet. Of Old Jamaica pour three strong, And add four parts of weak. Then mix and drink. ‘I do no wrong — I know whereof I speak.'”
– The New York Times, “Planter’s Punch” (1908)
Jonathan Echavarria 