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Caribbean Cocktail
I have been asked to produce some alcoholic punch as part of a charity Caribbean night!
anyone got any recommendations?
cheers
Lawrence 
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Started 1 year ago by Lol, with a total of 7 posts. Follow this topic with the RSS feed.
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Posted 1 year ago by Member
Well, rum is going to be your obvious starting point though I *beg* you not to use Bacardi Blanca.
Jamaican rum is my personal favourite due to the inherently spicy character, with Appleton and Wray & Nephew being among my preferred brands.
One important thing to keep in mind with punch is dilution, you could make something which tastes fantastic just after you add ice, but in 30 minutes it's watery and bland. A single large block of ice will withstand melting better and you can make it in whatever shape you want, even decorated with fruit set into the container before freezing. My preference when doing something like this is to dilute to the desired degree with water and then chill it, serving in a heat=conductive vessel over ice.
Something akin to making up individual cocktails and keeping them in the fridge bottled ready to pour, except a punch should be more communal and on display.
I usually work by the adage "One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak". Ie one part citrus, two parts 2:1 sugar syrup (NOT boiled), 3 parts alcohol and 4 parts fruit juice and/or water. Other elements could include bitters (Angostura being the most fitting for a Caribbean night, as well as being the most widely available) or herbs and fresh fruit.
I could suggest some recipes if you can give an indication of style you're wanting? Bright, fresh & cooling or complex, rich and comforting for example. Thankfully rum comes in so many styles that it's easily adaptable to most situations
Fermenting: Damson pale
Conditioning: Morello Cherry Lambic 2
Drinking: Schneider Weisse Tap 7 clone, Morello Cherry Lambic 1, Rauchbier
Posted 1 year ago by Member
Steve,
thanks for that, I was thinking what fruit juices I could mix and ferment and maybe add some rum at the end!?
`one part citrus, two parts 2:1 sugar syrup (NOT boiled), 3 parts alcohol and 4 parts fruit juice and/or water' sounds good
thanks for replay
Lol
Posted 1 year ago by Moderator
Angostura can be bought at Sainsburys for about £3 a bottle. My missus bought some for me (if I remember rightly its about 35-40%ish). I never knew what to use it for until now!
Plannin'-
Loads a beer after an upgrade!
nathbrew@gmail.com
Posted 1 year ago by Member
Nath, if you make sloe gin or similar it can really boost the flavours; I make a sloe/damson combo every year and usually add ~2/3 of a bottle of Angostura per gallon.
Fermenting: Damson pale
Conditioning: Morello Cherry Lambic 2
Drinking: Schneider Weisse Tap 7 clone, Morello Cherry Lambic 1, Rauchbier
Posted 1 year ago by Admin
Steve you are clearly THE MAN on the subject. Good stuff.
Look forward to sharing some recipes with you, especially when we hit the summer BBQ season.
Posted 1 year ago by Member
Haha, I don't think I've ever been called that before! But yeah, spirits and mixing have been of big interest to me for a good few years now.
Fermenting: Damson pale
Conditioning: Morello Cherry Lambic 2
Drinking: Schneider Weisse Tap 7 clone, Morello Cherry Lambic 1, Rauchbier
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