The Ti’ Punch
June 10, 2008
I thought my fascination with Rhum Agricole was something that would be here today and gone tomorrow, but after my first cocktail containing the unusual spirit paired with some quirky pickled watermelon rind juice, I was hooked. Since that fateful day, I have gone through more bottles of Rhum Agricole than I would care to admit.
Punches were quite popular back in the day (all the way back to the 1670’s according to David Wondrich). Typically, they were large concoctions of spirits, citrus, sugar, and water, sometimes also accompanied by a spice. Served in a punch bowl, one can imagine that they were quite easily doled out to a large group of people. Ti’, on the other hand, is the pronunciation by the Creoles in the French West Indies island of Martinique, for the shortened word “Petit”. As Mr. Wondrich points out, this is no small drink.
According to Ed Hamilton, one of the world’s foremost brains on anything having to do with rum, Ti’ Punch was served as the first drink of the day. “Top of the morning to you ya’. Here’s a glass of booze.” The ingredients? Rhum Agricole, lime juice, and cane syrup. That’s it. A couple of ounces of Rhum Agricole, a healthy squeeze of lime, and cane syrup to suit your tastes. Traditionally down in the islands, the ingredients were just set out for the bar guest to help himself and make it to his or her preference.
If tonight, you go home eager to try this most delicious and refreshing of drinks, you might find that the above directions concoct a drink that is neither very delicious or refreshing. I don’t know, maybe you’ll like it, but for me, the intense burn of alcohol with minimal dilution from the lime and cane syrup, didn’t suit my fancy. Digging a little deeper, I found out that ice is now acceptable to use in a Ti’ Punch. In fact, one could make a pretty good case to say the only reason ice wasn’t included in the original recipe was simply because it was so rare in the islands. Now that ice is everywhere, it is not uncommon to order a Ti’ Punch and receive it on the rocks.
The addition of ice to this drink is absolutely one of the most amazing transformations that I have come by. Maybe it is because I have tasted few, if any of the classic cocktails at room temperature. A few cubes of ice mellow out the rhum and really allow the flavors to blossom into a nicely balanced drink.
I was contemplating writing a quick post on the Ti’ Punch for a couple of weeks. What I love more than this drink is the fact that the Depaz Distillery in
Ok, so I’m kidding about us fighting over the bottle…we don’t roll in those drama circles. We simply passed it around in good nature and talked about its awesome-ness. What is more, they also included some other tasty treats. Besides the Blue Cane Rhum Agricole, was a bottle of Depaz Sugar Cane Syrup. One can simply not experience an authentic Ti’ Punch without using authentic sugar cane syrup as the sweetening agent. Of course in a pinch, one can make a simple syrup from evaporated cane juice and water, but the real thing is always better right? Well, Robert may be housing the Amber Rhum at his place, but I am in possession of the sugar cane syrup, and to get it back he’ll have to pry it not only from my cold dead fingers, but my wife’s as well. It is freakin’ delicious.
A drink is only as good as its singular ingredients, and I find it extremely refreshing that Depaz takes their craft so seriously. A quick visit to their website will tell you all you ever wanted to know about where they grow their cane, the importance of the species they choose to grow, and the meticulous process which they go through in order to produce their stellar rhum.
This stuff is still sadly unavailable in Texas, but there are some great online resources from which it can be procured. Try these first:
-Blue Cane Rhum Agricole
-Sugar Cane Syrup
So what did I learn this week? I would say the most important thing I learned was that I love it when people read my mind. Now, I understand that not all distilleries are as intuitive as Depaz, and I cannot expect them to be. Thus, I’ll go ahead and tell you what I’ll be thinking mulling over the next couple of weeks: The Improved Rye Cocktail. Now wouldn’t some “impossible-to-get-in-Texas” Old Potrero Rye be great in that drink? (Hint, hint, Anchor Distillery).
So does anything differentiate the Ti’ Punch from the daiquiri besides the use of Rhum Agricole? Otherwise both are rum, lime juice and syrup, right? Do the proportions vary?
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much that is different between a traditional Daiquiri and a Ti’ Punch, besides ingredients and technique used in making them. For that matter, there aren’t huge differences between a Daiquiri, a Ti’ Punch, and a Caiparinha. It seems to me that the significant differences come in the spirits used to make them. Sure, they are all sugar cane distillates, but they are such different-tasting ingredients that I think they can hold their own. There is history behind each drink as well, which delineates them. The Ti’ Punch traditionally started out by non-chalantley mixing local Rhum Agricole, a sqeeze of lime, and a little cane syrup, no ice—served in the morning. The Daiquiri, was traditionally served over crushed ice. 2 oz. light rum, ½ oz. lime juice, and a teaspoon or so of sugar. In a Caiparinha, one muddles lime quarters, then adds ice, cachaca, and sugar. They’re all similar-sounding drinks, but light rum, rhum agricole, and cachaca taste so unique that it would be a shame to lump them all into one drink category.
Regarding different ratios in each drink: Depending on the nature of the spirit of choice, it is always a good idea to tweak the ratios accordingly. For example, if I was going to use a dark rum in a Daiquiri, I’d probably cut back on the sugar, as opposed to using a light, un-aged rum.
I hope that kind of does your question some justice. You raise a good point. Thanks for reading.