English sugar plantations
were established in the Caribbean in the early 1600s and molasses, which is an
industrial waste product from sugar refining, was in plentiful supply. Sometime in the 1640s, plantation workers in
Barbados realized that molasses could be fermented and distilled to create a
powerful spirit that they called “kill-devil” or “rumbullion” – later shortened
to “rum”. Caribbean colonies quickly
became major producers. Due to global
economic changes in the late 1800s, the market for refined sugar shrank
precipitously, and the innovative producers began distilling fresh sugarcane
juice instead of molasses. The resulting spirit was called “rhum agricole”,
French for “agricultural rum”. Rhum Agricole has a distinct earthy, grassy
flavor that varies significantly depending on where the sugarcane was
grown.
Ti’ Punch is the national cocktail of the French Caribbean islands Martinique and Guadeloupe (ti’ is short for “petite”). It’s made with sharp, vegetal white rhum agricole if enjoyed early in the day, and with a mellower aged rhum agricole in the evening. Ice is optional and locals typically enjoy Ti’ Punch without it. I tried it both with and without ice, and I’m going to ask you to trust me and try it without. Sipping a nice Ti’ Punch puts me in mind of sitting on a beautiful beach at dusk, feeling the breeze and watching the world go by.
Recipe
1 tsp cane sugar syrup (Steen’s)
2 oz rhum agricole (aged or white; I used aged)
-squeeze lime wheel into a rocks glass; drop the wheel into the glass
-add the cane sugar syrup and stir to combine
-add rhum Agricole and stir briefly to mix
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