Antilles Treasures

We are talking about the quentisential French Caribbean aperitif not high tea with the queen. 

Ti punch is strong and frankly took a bit to get used to but now when on island it is the first drink I order.  Ti punch short for petite punch is made with Rhum Agricole that is a product of Martiniques rhum production facilities.  Agricole is a little bitter so we then add some cane syrup to the mix and squeeze in a half of a lime.  Stir drop in a cube of ice or more and enjoy.

Ingredients

2 ounces Rhum Agricole

1/2 small lime (think key lime size)

1/2 ounce cane syrup

Short but true story.

The locals on St Martin either drink their ti punch with no ice or one cube as ice traditionally wasnt very plentiful.  When an American orders more times than not they will ask for extra ice.  We knew that we were starting to fit in when after being seated at a restaurant I im my best broken French with a midwestern twang I ordered ti punch.  The waiter brought the drink and a cup full of ice.  I told him “merci mais la glace n’est pas nécessaire”  Thank you but ice is not necessary.  He smiled and started chating with us like we were long lost friends… We like some of our on line friends believe heavily that when traveling internationally you should learn to drink like the locals. 

Salute!

One might wonder just what the title has to do with rum. I think the old adage
that a picture is worth a thousand words can apply here;  

Our English Harbour Flight

My son and I are on a quest to taste and own some of the worlds “First Class”
rums. Once they are ours we build a rum flight from other rums in the same
family and then placing our tray tables and seatbacks in an upright position,
prepare for our staged flight to first class.  

Our original “First Class” flight was more of a sailing as the rum family was
Pyrat. We consumed Pyrat Pistol, XO Reserve and their high ticket Cask. But we
are now off track.  

Here is the gist of things;
We just returned from a trip to ST Maarten and while there I happened to come
across a very special bottle, one that in fact completed the next flight which
is part of one of our favorite rum families. I located a bottle of English
Harbour 1981 the flag ship of the EH fleet. There was no bickering about the
bottle price. I simply asked how much, found the price acceptable and it made
the journey back to the states with us.  

When we returned to the states our son picked us up at the airport, after the
traditional greetings of hugs and fist bumps, the very first question out of his
mouth was did you bring home any rum. I of course told him no..my intent is for
this to be a gift for him.
While unpacking we handed him a well wrapped package, as he unwrapped it you
could see the excitement of an eight year old boy at Christmas come across his
face. He indeed is now the proud owner of one of his top four “First Class”
rums a bottle of English Harbour 1981.  I think we made his day…  

Ehglish Harbour 5 year

The next day we were on a mission to build and enjoy our English Harbour Flight.
While he was removing the wax and cork from the 1981, good ole dad was lignin up a set of three glasses each. We started with a short pour of English Harbour (EH) that is aged 5 years. A very good representative all on its own of the EH family. so we have lift
off and can now recline seats, drop those tray tables and push the call button for the stewardess, sorry, flight attendant to bring us our first round.  While sitting in the coach section we ordered a sample round of EH5.  It is a very smooth blend that is great neat or with a bit of ice.  For purposes of this flight it was consumed neat.   We let the
flavors sit on our palates, breathed in the alcohol flavor and swallowed this
wonderful nectar. Next we let it mellow a bit on our taste buds and enjoyed the
lingering flavor that it left while excitedly discussing what we thought and how
much we were looking forward to the next stage in this flight… 

 We finished with big smiles knowing that our next stop will be business class to sample the EHR10.   

English Harbour Reserve (a 10 year blend)

Drink number two is from what remains of a bottle of English Harbour Reserve aged 10 years. This is a very high quality rum in its own arena that could be the top of many rum flights but it jus so happens that we found its bigger more mature brother while on vacation so for this flight gets to sit in the business class section.  As you can see by the picture, we very much enjoy EH10 and sejoyed this sampling quite a lot.  
Before anyone asks..Yes, there is a noticeable difference between the 5 year and
10 year versions, one that is worth the cost difference. 

While tasting this
one, we noticed quite a bit less alcohol vapor up front but smoother flavoring than
the previous drink, this one did finish with a bit more of a hint of freshly toasted coconut that lingered for quite some time. Second stage is complete now so we pushed our way forward from business class into the first class section, hoping that there are no TSA agents that will make us return to our seats.  Settled in we are now ready for the in flight feature…  

English Harbour 1981

The third set of glasses were aligned and dad passed the honor of the pouring
responsibilities to the man that now owns this bottle of ambrosia…he steps up to the bar and begins to carefully pour two very even samples.   

We by this time are quite enthused to partake in the full effect of this beautifully crafted
marvel. First we take in the aroma…the up front alcohol flavor that is in the
younger bottles is all but gone. Next we gingerly sip a bit and let it tickle
the taste buds, careful not to over stimulate our palates. Then we breathe in so we can mix a touch of air with the rum…bringing an explosion of flavors that only a perfectly blended bottle of well aged rum can produce. We could taste a hint of smoke and leather from the oak barrels that had given character to this fine potion. This fine blend is one that had been aged long enough that
if it were a person it could vote. 1981 had little to no alcohol burn, this is
the smoothest rum I have ever tasted…by a long shot! There is a hint of toasted
coconut at the end that leaves a pleasant reminder that there is still more rum
left in the bottle and left both of us wanting more.  Yes, the 1981 is a quantum leap above the EH Reserve 10 year, as it had better have been with the heafty price tag that accompanied this precious jewel.  

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we even did a head to head comparison of the Pyrat Cask and the EH 1981. Lets just
say that 1981 was a banner year and left the cask in its dust.  

Two down and now still hunting MT Gay’s Tri-Centennial and a particular very old
Pusser’s brand bottle.  

When submitting your taste buds to rum flights…always reward them with the “First Class” upgrade…salute!!!

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend and has been recommended by several other friends that had already tried it. The recipe is easy, I am by no means much of a cook or baker and I was able pull this one off for a bunch of friends and it got glowing reviews.  

Sorry there arent any pictures this time…the cake gets devoured before I even think to shoot a picture…

Ingredients;

4 eggs
3/4 cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 cup Apricot nectar (canned)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup dark rum (We used MT Gay Eclipse) Being a rum drinker, I certainly would recommend a dark rum over white but am sure it is tasty either way

Directions;

Cake;
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly and combine with oil, apricot nectar
and cake mix.
Beat at medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth. Pour into large greased
and floured bunt or deep cake pan. Bake at 350 F for 50 min.

Glaze;
Melt butter and confectioner’s sugar in a pan over low heat and stir in rum. As soon as cake is done, place pan on cooling rack
Poke holes in the top of the cake with toothpick or skewer
Pour rum mixture over the top of the cake, allowing it to soak in well.
Cool for 1 hour before removing from pan.

Enjoy!!!

Grab your passports and a hand full of doubloons, we have a concoction that will take you to ST Somewhere.  A Caribbean escape from the reality of an oncoming Fall and Winter.  We also believe a glass or two of this on a regular basis will keep one from contracting a case of scurvy.  Prepare to have your timbers shivered and the barnacles blown right off your hull by this elixir.

We know that  yesterday was “talk like a pirate day”and this drink certainly would have helped to loosen your tongue to make pirate speak easier however we wanted to share the recipe for our Tropical Tuesday post.

This is our favorite of rum punches, grogs or any rum flavored mixes and we have brewed this punch successfully for several parties. Always with the warning, if you partake, do not plan to drive as it has quite a kick.

How to make a pirate’s grog;

Fill a pitcher with ice, use a shot glass to measure and add in each of the following,
1 shot of white rum (any white rum is fine)
1 shot of amber rum (we use Pyrat pistol or MT Gay)
1 part dark rum (again we use Pyrat this time XO reserve or Gosslings Blackseal)
1 part Grand Marnier
4 parts Orange juice
4 parts Pineapple juice
1 part Ruby Red Grapefruit juice

This potent concoction will make enough to serve 4.

For those that would prefer a bit less alcohol increase OJ, Pineapple and Grapefruit portions to taste.

When we have made this grog for parties 1 shot is replaced with 1 part and is equal to a 375 ML bottle of pyrat pistol or 1.5 cups.

Even made strong the fruit juices mask the alcohol flavor and drinking more than a little of this grog can lead to waking the next day aboard a ship a victim of a local press-gangs recruitment.

Please don’t drink and drive!

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

Distilled by Distilerias Unicas, S.A. – Venezuela
Distilled from fermented molasses in Copper Pot stills, then aged for 12 years in white oak barrels. 40% alcohol by volume. 
Price $32
Awards Won
Gold Medal – Premium Rum – 2009 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition
Gold Medal – Premium Rum – 2007 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition
Gold Medal – Premium Rums – International Sugar Cane Spirits Tasting Competition Ybor City 

 
How I found this rum
I found this 12-year old rum while on a business trip in Orlando. I was looking for another brand but the liquor store I was in said that they had never heard of it. This bottle was sitting with a bunch of other topshelf rums and it drew my attention for a couple of reasons. The first was packaging, It was displayed in front of a cardboard sleeve that it was to be tucked into for sales. The second was the rums it sat among, I was very familiar with those and enjoyed them so I asked the clerk about the rum. I was in luck as he wasn’t just the clerk but the owner of the store as well and said this was a personal favorite. After reading the package and small card attached to the bottle I decided that this could be my backup rum in case I couldn’t find the other one…and I never did find the other one so this was a good choice.
Initial Thoughts
When I first opened the bottle there was an aroma of a molasses, quite sweet and appealing. I poured it into a glass and found the coloring to be rich and dark, somewhat of a chestnut brown. This rum is thick enough that it will coat your palate with its flavors, which is rewarding as it has a wonderful sweet finish that lingers a bit longer than most. The aroma was a blend of whisky, chocolate and honey. Only thing I wasn’t happy with was the upfront alcohol smell was a bit stronger than we liked and it carried over to the taste as well.
Taste
This rum has enough differing flavors to satisfy all of your taste buds. It starts with a hint of caramel and citrus then shifts where you can taste the alcohol leaving a bit of an oily but that is replaced quickly with the finishing flavor and that my friends is smooth! The finish is where you can taste the molasses the most and I certainly found the finish to be the most pleasant surprise of the entire experience and would gladly overlook the parts that I didn’t care for because of how it finished.
Final thoughts
How did we sample this rum? I tried it both straight and with a couple of cubes of ice. The ice did mellow the alcohol vapor a bit but either way the finish was very consistent. I wouldn’t use this as a rum to mix with but it would make some quality drinks when paired with the right ingredients.
Would we purchase this rum again? Certainly, Diplimatico is smooth on the palate with a wonderful finish. I certainly will keep a bottle of this particular product in my own bar. I would envision this as a cool to cold weather rum, to be shared with a loved one in front of a fire or on the patio with a nice cigar.
Rating…We will give it a solid 4 out of 5 barrels on our rating system.

We were looking for a refreshing twist to a Mojito.

Discovered a recipe on line and tweaked it a bit go meet our needs.

This one is all about the simple syrup that one makes for this drink.

It takes some planning and time but the drink is a refreshing reward.

Mojito

Needed to make the drink:
1 cup lime juice use eight limes
4 tablespoons finely grated lime zest use 6 limes
1 cup fresh mint leaves, stems removed and chopped fine
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
Club Soda
Dark rum of choice (we used MT Gay)
Strainer or cheese cloth

Sauce pan
Jar for storage of the prepared syrup

Making the Syrup:
Juice the limes and remove seeds but leave the pulp.
Grate lime zest, being careful not to include white pith. You’ll need about 6
limes to make 4 tablespoons of zest.
Remove stems from mint measuring a cup, wash well and chop fine.

Combine lime juice, zest, mint leaves, sugar and water in a pan over
medium-low heat.

Bring to a simmer, remove from burner and let the syrup steep for two to three hours.
Strain syrup into a storage container, pressing mint leaves into strainer to extract all of the oils. 

Cover syrup and store in fridge until ready to use.
The simple syrup will be enough for 6 drinks.

Mixing the drink:

Using a 12 oz glass, add 3 oz of syrup and 2 oz of rum then drop in several ice cubes.  Top off with soda water, we used Perrier but any club soda works.

Stir gently add a lime slice garnish for some charm and enjoy!

This is our first rum recipe. It’s a marriage of our love of juices from Hawaii and affair with Caribbean rums. We see this as the rum drinker’s replacement for a Mimosa or even as a refreshing finish to a great day.

This rum punch is a tasty treat that is a great light flavor with a bit of a kick.

What you need to make this drink is;
Tall Glass
Stir stick
Ice
Pyrat XO Reserve
Cointreau
Guava Juice
Passion Fruit Juice

Measurements;
1 ½ oz Pyrat XO Reserve
1 ½ oz Cointreau
4 oz Guava Juice
4 oz Passion Fruit Juice

Stir together in a tall glass of ice, sit back and enjoy!

This is an original recipe to Antilles Treasures LLC.