Get in the spirit of the season: Rum Punch

As a child growing up in St Andrew, family gatherings were only done at Christmas - an occasion everyone looked forward to.

The laughter, chatter and savoury aromas that filled my late grandmother's house was like no other. After dinner, the grown-ups would gather around a keg full of red beverage that as I got older, I found out was 'aged' rum punch.

Months before, Cousin G would make this brew and leave it to ferment. Words cannot describe the potency of the scent when that container is opened - enough to revive a dead man - well, maybe.

While making it, Cousin G would also hum a little jingle to make is easier to remember the mix ratio.

"One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak. Simply put, you only need four simple ingredients to make this tasty punch. Sour refers to the lime (or lemon), sweet - the syrup, strong - the alcohol (namely white rum) and weak refers to water.

See the secret recipe below to make this holiday even merrier with loved ones.

Simple Jamaican Rum Punch (Weak)

Ingredients

1 cup lime or lemon juice

2 cups Jamaican white over-proof rum (Appleton) (or other simple syrup), 3 cups white over-proof rum

3 cups strawberry flavoured syrup (or other simple red coloured syrup)

4 cups water

Method

1. Mix everything together in a punch bowl.

2. Taste and adjust.

3. Garnish with slices of lime and/or pieces of pineapple.

4. Place in the refrigerator to chill. Ageing improves rum punch, so we suggest refrigerate and serve after two hours.

5. Serve cold over ice.

Serves: 10-12

Sweet: To make it sweet, add 4 cups fruit juice (Combine 2 cups pineapple and 2 cups orange juice)

Strong: To make it strong increase the rum quotient to 4 cups white rum