Planters Punch

The Planters Punch is a Rum cocktail that's been around for more than 100 years. Being a punch, it's a long drink that can be enjoyed slowly, but still has a good kick to it. With some fruit juice combined with the Rum, this is a great drink for Spring or Summer.

The preferred Rum in this cocktail is a Jaimacan Rum, but any Dark Rum will do to still make an enjoyable punch.

While you're more than welcome to have this drink on your own, tropical drinks like this are best enjoyed with others. So make sure to get plenty of ingredients, especially fresh juice, and go nuts with the Planters Punch.

Total Time 5

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL Dark Rum Preferably Jamaican Rum
60 mL Pineapple Juice
15 mL Lime Juice
10 mL Grenadine
60 mL Club Soda (optional)
Garnish with seasonal fruit

Instructions

Pour everything except the Club Soda and Garnish into a cocktail shaker. Shake with plenty of ice. Make everything good and cold.
Strain into a Highball glass with fresh ice.
Top up with Club Soda if you would like the drink a little longer.
Garnish, drink.

Notes

Have fun with the garnish. You can use any seasonal fruit, but of course lean more tropical. And since it's tropical, make the garnish look good!

As with so many cocktails, there's not much agreement on how this cocktail originated. It likely came about in the late 1800's though. Some say it was invented at the Planters Hotel in South Carolina. Others say it's purely a Jamaican punch. Other than that, there's not a lot of information!

Either way, it doesn't take away from the fact that this is a tasty cocktail. So enjoy.

Our Review of Planters Punch

For a Tiki style cocktail, Planters Punch isn’t as boozy as one would expect. But then again, although it’s been put into the wider Tiki genre, Planters Punch predates the style by more than 50 years. We’re still calling it Tiki though because it has the right vibe. You wouldn’t be surprised to find it on the menu at a Tiki bar.

So the first thing to say about the Planters Punch is not to treat it like other Tiki cocktails, because I guess technically, it’s not Tiki. If you’re really into Tiki cocktails, you may be slightly disappointed by this cocktail, but then again, you may find this punch a refreshing change from the norm. It’s a way to enjoy fruit juice and rum without having to drink too much alcohol.

That’s kind of the point of a punch, isn’t it? Yeah, of course there are some pretty boozy punches out there, but most of them are more designed for quiet enjoyment and refreshment rather than going way over the top with. And the Planters Punch really succeeds in what it sets out to do. The pineapple juice base goes well with lime juice and grenadine (and why wouldn’t it), and if you get a good enough rum, the spirit really shines through. Without a good rum that has plenty of flavour, you’ll basically just be tasting fruit juice, so you’ll want to avoid that.

All in all, Planters Punch is a great cocktail and one worthwhile making as a larger batch to share with friends. If you’re making it as a bit batch, you won’t be able to shake it, so the texture of the cocktail will change a little bit, but that’s OK. Sharing great drinks with friends is often more important than be technically correct.

8.5/10