by Heylownine

Black River Punch was born as an untitled Planter's Punch variant. In fact, its working title for months was "Title TK" (journalistic shorthand for title to come), which is an unfortunate name regardless of whether I ever intended to publish it. When transitioning from mixing cocktails direct from published recipes to creating something new, it's easiest to learn a ratio and take it from there. Planter's Punch makes it easy because of the rhyme: 1 of sour, 2 of sweet, 3 of strong, 4 of weak. With that as a base, the sky's the limit.

The recipe for Black River Punch:

1 oz lemon juice (sour)

1 oz Demerara sugar syrup (sweet)

1/2 oz Falernum (recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed, also sweet)

1/4 oz pimento (allspice) dram (recipe from Beachbum Berry Remixed, weak)

3 oz Appleton V/X (strong)

2 oz strong black tea (weak)

Gently shake with ice cubes, pour into tall glass. Add more ice to fill. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.

When it came time to name it for real it was apparent that there was a heavy Jamaican influence, from the drink archetype to the ingredient list. A little research on Jamaica pointed to the Black River, which ran through the area of Appleton's estate in the Saint Elizabeth parish. Black River the city is the capital of the parish of Saint Elizabeth and was once a sugar port, which was also an exporter of rum and allspice. And with that, Black River Punch had its name.

Being a punch, Black River Punch scales nicely for large gatherings. Simply multiple the recipe by the number of servings desired. Note that a single serving is larger than an average punch cup, so you'll end up with more than you anticipate provided you are a good host and provide the proper sized vessel. As with any punch, you want to stimulate conversation, not knock it out.

NOTE:  Once you’ve made it and tried it, please send us your tasting notes and pictures of your cocktail at (contact@lowbrowliterati.com) and we will publish your thoughts.