Today Is National Rum Punch Day

By Melissa Wiley in Food on Sep 20, 2012 6:20PM

On the very precipice of fall, National Rum Punch Day comes along only one day after Talk Like a Pirate Day. Which is all by way of saying that summer may last only another 24 hours and you may no longer feel quite so free enjoining passing strangers to walk the plank, but that’s no reason not to celebrate. You scallywag, you.

As most of us know, nothing helps a celebration along quite like a Caribbean rum punch, so here’s a basic skeleton recipe to get this end-of-summer party started. Substitute in the ingredients that you like (or that you happen to have on hand). According to our rum guru, Rob Christopher, the residents of the West Indies even have a rhyme: "One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four of Weak." Just follow that and you've got yourself a punch.

Rum Punch

• 1 part lime juice
• 2 parts sweetener, preferably orange or pineapple juice
• 3 parts rum of your choice
• 4 parts water
• a dash of bitters and nutmeg

With refreshing libation in hand, sip and enjoy among friends like it’s the beginning, not the end, of summer. Maybe even turn your napkin into an impromptu eye patch and toss around some pirate badinage once the rum runs to your head. It’s that kind of holiday, my friends. Enjoy.