The Barbados rum punch has a great recipe poem that is easy to remember. I call it a nursery rhyme for adults!
“One of sour, two of sweet
Three of strong and four of weak
A dash of bitters and a sprinkle of spice
Serve well chilled with plenty of ice”

Nutmeg is usually sprinkled over the punch and served with a few maraschino cherries. The sour is lime juice which is sold in bottles in all stores but you could use fresh if you have enough limes. It must be lime juice and not lime cordial. The sweet in the “song” is a sugar syrup solution. This is best made with Barbados sugar. If you make it with white processed sugar, it will not be the same. The strong is the rum, which must be dark. The weak is water. Now, how much is a measure you may ask. I use my kitchen measuring cups for this as rum punch is made in a jug in my home. As many a hungover, bleary-eyed guests will testify to. Add a dash of Angostora bitters, sprinkle some grated nutmeg, stick a cherry on stick and a straw in the glass and you are set. They are strong though. Be warned! We still do not talk of the night I happily and merrily drank 7 rum punches from a local bar. It’s still a mystery to me how I got home that night.

Barbados Rum Punch
Ingredients
- 1 oz lime juice
- 2 oz sugar syrup
- 3 oz golden rum
- 4 oz water
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, fresh grated
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients in a glass over ice.
- Stir and serve immediately
- Serve with a cherry
Charlotte Barnes says
This rum punch is the recipe I have been looking for to remind me of Barbados. Could you tell me how many servings this recipe makes please. Thank you.