One of the things I like about Antigua is the rum punch. Some places just give you rum mixed with some sort of Hawiian Punch. That is certainly the quick and dirty way of making your drink. However, we learned in Jan, 2025 that there is a much better way to make this sweet nectar of the Gods!
We ended up going to an excursion called BBQ Boat ANU. Dale is the owner and he has a fiberglass round boat that looks like a big coloful float ring with an 8 horse motor. He will take you out on Dickenson Bay, stop at a floating bar, and make you lunch. The day we went, however, became too wavy for the little boat so we were beached. No worries, we had the beach, drinks, Dale made us lunch, and then a rum class. These are some of the pictures from the BBQ Boat ANU website.
Swimming or even bobbing in the water became very challenging very quickly. Kathy got hit by a wave and lost her prescription sun glasses. There goes $200. Next, I was hit in the back with a forceful wave and did face plant right in the water while I was standing next to Kathy. The challenging, entertaining, and most geezer part of the whole thing was trying to get out of the water. Just when you thought you made it, a wave would come behind you and knock you over or the water would go rushing back out to the ocean pulling you with it! It was so bad that Kathy and Mary had grab my hands and literally pull me out of the water. It was no easy feat. The suction of the water going back out made it so hard to get out of the water. Why do I always feel like I am there for the comic relief???
So, we chilled on the beach and had some lunch. We even met a guy selling coconuts on the beach. He used a machete to cut the top off, put a straw in the middle, and then would hand you a fresh drink. I think if I were trapped on a desert island and had to live off of coconuts, that I would die. I really do not think that I could do what he makes look so easy. Click on the single picture below to watch a video of machete man and his coconuts. (I appologize. I have only figured out part way to how to put a video on the blog. Geezer.)
After lunch, it was time to go to our Rum Punch Experience. We headed to Quin Farara's., the oldest family-owned business in St. John. They have been open since 1924. I wonder what business has been around the longest on the whole island. Antigua has such a rich history, it would be interesting to find out what businesses have been there the longest.
Once we arrived to our class, we sat down at the table where each of us had a "flight of rum" to taste. Our instructor, Kim, explained to us the history of Quin Farara and a little on the history of rum. Our flight of drinks was composed of rum that had been aged for different amounts of time. Unfortunately, I do not remember all the brands of rum......because.....well, we were drinking rum. I know they were all brands that Quin Farara produces and sells in their store. I know that things that are aged longer are supposed to taste better, but I did not find that to be the case for me. In fact, most of our group preferred the rum that had been aged 5 years, English Harbor.
Once we decided what "flavor" of rum we were going to use, it was time to get serious. Kim explained that the word punch comes from the Hindi word "panc" which means 5. So, our rum punch has 5 parts to it: Spirits, Sour (citrus juice/lemonade), Sugar, Water, and Spices.
Spirits: Kim had us fill our glass to the top with ice. Using that much ice goes against my way of thinking because I don't want a bunch of ice taking up room in my cup. Kim explained that the extra ice is not a way for the bartender to cheat you on how much liquor is in your drink. Actually, the more ice you have in your drink the colder your drink will stay. By golly, she was right. I just need a bigger cup / glass / tankard / fish bowl.
Next we did a 5 count pour of Rum. (Did you notice everything seems to be about the number 5?) Kim said this is where you pour your rum in your glass and count to 5. You can count really slow or your can count fast. It is up to you.. This is where I wished I had a bigger glass. I started counting slowly, but then realized that I needed to leave room in my glass for the other tasty treats that would go into my concotion, so I started counting faster.
Sour: The next ingredient to our rum punch was something sour. Kim had fresh squeezed lemonade ready for us. She had regular lemonade and one that had been insfused with Cinnamon (a.k.a. lemonade with cinnamon sticks. It sounds more sophisticated if you say infused).. So, we added some lemonade to our glasses. Then she said to use 2 shakes of Bitters. The brand they use is Angostura Aromatic Bitters. Angostura bitters is a herbal alcoholic tincture made of gentian root, herbs, and spices, and is produced by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. The bitters were originally produced in the town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela), hence the name, The bottle is recognizable by its distinctive oversized label and yellow cap. Angostura is Spanish for "narrowing", the town of Angostura having been at the first narrowing of the Orinoco River.
A Geezer note about the Angotura bitters. I bought a bottle of the bitters at the duty free store at the Antiguan airport, so I had it in my carry on luggage. I did NOT think to put it on my checked luggage before I went through customs in Miami. The bottle is 200ml.....about twice the amount you are allowed in your carry on. The customs agent really scrutinized my bottle. I told him that I bought it in the airport in Antigua. I don't know why, but he tore the bottom half of the label off and then finally decided to let me continue with out confiscating my bitters. Our friend, Stacy, had also purchased some bitters at the same duty free store at the airport. She had no trouble in customs and sailed right through!. So, again, I "take one for the team" to learn things NOT to do so it can go on our Blog. Bottom line, if you buy any liquid at the duty free store, make sure you put it in your checked luggage when you grab it at the airport to take it to the 2nd drop off before you go through customs!
Sugar (and water): After we added the bitters, Kim told us to taste our drink. If it needed some sweetness, we could add some simple syrup. Kim had some plain simple syrup and then some cinnamon infused syrup. I chose the cinnamon flavored.
For those of you who want to make rum punch from home, you can easily make your own simple syrup. There are only 2 ingredients needed: equal parts water and sugar. So, take one cup of sugar and mix it with one cup of water in a saucepan. Warm it up over medium heat. When the edges start to simmer (not boiling), the liquid should be completely clear, not cloudy. Remove from heat. Once you remove from heat, it is time to add the extra ingredients. When I was at home getting ready for our rum punch party, I made 4 different flavors: cinnamon, mint, and orange, and clove. I used cinnamon sticks, fresh mint leaves, orange rinds, and whole cloves. Once you add your flavors to your containers, cover them with lids, and let the wonderful flavors meld with your syrup.
Once the syrup is cool, remove your flavorings (cinnamon stick, mint leaves, etc.). Leaving these items in the syrup will reduce the shelf life of your syrup. Store the plain simple syrup in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks in the fridge. If you have flavored your syrup, then it will be good for 2 weeks. Other ideas for your flavors would be to add vanilla beans, nutmeg, ginger, chiles, other citrus rinds (lemon, lime, etc.), rosemary, thyme, or even edible flowers like lavender or rose petals. Be creative!
Spices: Next, Kim had us take some fresh nutmeg and shave it over our drink. The nutmeg is what really takes the rum punch to the next level in my opinion. Did you know that nutmeg comes from grinding the seed of the nutmeg tree into powder? I will admit that I had no idea that you got nutmeg from a seed that is a little bigger than a grape. I had only ever seen nutmeg as a powder that I buy from the grocery store. Yes, you can say it. Karen lives a very sheltered life!
When we got home from Antigua, Stacy found these super cute mini cheese graters on Amazon that we not only perfect for grating our nutmeg but also for making our lemon canoes (explaination coming soon). A pack of 3 mini graters will cost you about $10.
The next step of making our punch was to make a "canoe" of lemon rind. This is where the little grater comes in handy again. On the side of the grater are these little cup looking things (sorry that I don't know the proper word for it.....maybe slicer?). Take your lemon and scrape the cup thingy along the rind of the lemon. This will peel a portion of the lemon rind into a tiny piece that resembles a canoe. Kim told us to take our canoe, twist it like you are ringing out a towel to release the flavor, and then to wipe the inside of our canoe all along the rim of our glass.
This picture is of an orange, but the "boats" we made of the lemon peel were about the same size. I guess you could use a knife like the picture shows, but it was fun to use the mini cheese grater. Once you have the rind, don't forget to twist it to release the oils.
The last step of making our beautiful creation was to take fresh mint leaf, place it in your palm, slap your plams together, twist your palms, and then place the mint leaf in your drink. Kim sais this helps to release the mint flavor from the leaves. This last step, I quickly renamed "spanking the mint".
After this first round of mixing our drink, Kim said we were free to make more drinks and to mix it up a little. We could try different rums (coconut rum was a good choice), different garnishes, or anything we saw fit. Of course, you were free to purchase some of their rum to take home with you. I bought some coconut rum and the 5 year English Harbor.
Needless to say, this is when I was REALLY happy that I had come with a group of friends. Some of us (well, basically me) got a little tipsy and needed some help back to our van. But all of us agreed that this was a great way to spend our afternoon. We learned a little history, spent time with good friends, and had some REALLY good rum punch!
It is now June in Michigan. I have 3 containers of mint, one container of lavender, and one container of rosemary in my garden that I am growing just so I can make more rum punch later. (Side note: If you decide to grow your own mint, make sure you plant it in a conatainer like a flower pot or food grade 5 gallon bucket. Mint is an invasive plant and will take over your WHOLE garden.) So, be creative in your rum punch making and be sure to toast the Geezers Gone Rogue while you are having fun!