By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
Trinidad and Tobago
Calypsonian legend, Lord Kitchener sang a song about it and goes down recorded in a Trinidad and Tobago’s Christmas hall of fame, “Drink a Rum and a Ponche ah Crema”. The song embodies the spirit of the season, a festive time shared among friends, family and neighbours, when alcohol was consumed and the extra was brought out unlike other times of the year, and celebrates the liquor choice of the Caribbean, Rum.
Rum of course is the beverage to come out from the sugar cane industry established by our colonial masters, while Ponche de crème, a beverage concocted with the use of this rum and the richness of creamy eggs, milk and fresh nutmeg, It is usually associated with the season locally, branded the Caribbean’s seasonal milk drink. It is definitely not your eggnog and not to be confused with the Cocquito, the Puerto Rican coconut flavoured nog.
Drink Ah Rum by Lord Kitchener
My fascination with this drink which I always heard in the song stems from growing up with my Grandpa, (my papa). His traditions were on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas celebrated in commonwealth countries) he would set up a platter of cutters, diced ham, curried pork, grapes, snacks to share with his friends and family he invited over while they indulged in the drinking of local spirits made by Angostura, with his music of choice of course local calypsos played in the background. I was just a child and was always told to stare clear of the adult’s festivities, never the less in my eyes, they looked like they were having a grand time just like Kitchener sang in his song.
At the same time, we would also visit my aunt who always had a Boxing day party and served up was her famous Black cake, or Caribbean fruit cake along with a glass of Ponche de crème to knock.
Now I have a confession to make, growing up in a traditional Christian household, alcohol was not something kept in my parent’s home, nor was it something they partook in even while among friends. It would only be in my adult years, I was privy to take a sip and fell in love with this beverage when a friend served up a glass for the season at her home.
The flavours were layered on your palette, the taste of freshly grated nutmeg, the dash of Angostura Bitters, no other will do, the sweet rich creaminess of condensed milk and not to mention the heavy alcohol used in its making, Forres Park rum.
While this Forres Park rum is prohibited from leaving the shores of Trinidad and Tobago for export, due to its 75% volume strength, some relatives and friends have successfully managed to try and sneak it in their luggage while heading back to their foreign homes in Canada and the United States for their enjoyment and reminiscing of home in Trinidad.
I recently started making it upon tasting the commercial brands and to find it tasting only very sweet, missing the notes of the spiced Angostura bitters and the nutmeg flavor. I credit my younger cousin for fueling my interest to make it myself. One season she shared a post on her Social media querying what is ponche de crème, having never heard of it herself and treated it like it was something of folklore and tales. I was shocked by her naivety and needed to share with her the song, the history of it and did not want to miss out on the opportunity to pass down a bit of our culture to the next generation.
Since sharing with her then it has become a tradition to make my own batches for sharing and keeping in the festive mood.
I usually make it in time for the New Year where I sit and watch the Rose Parade at home, with a glass in hand and a cinnamon roll, slice of mom’s black cake on the plate. Not very trini like, but it has become a thing of my new found personal traditions for ending off the season and starting the new year.
So here is my recipe. Hope you enjoy.
INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
1 750ml bottle of White Oak Rum (or any white rum)
1 nip of Forres Park Puncheon Rum
1 can of condensed milk
¾ Litre of Evapourated milk
Zest of 2 lemons/limes
2 whole nutmegs grated
3 tbsps of Angostura Bitters (original flavour)
You will need a blender, a large bowl for mixing the liquids together, and a hand whisk.
METHOD: Set your double boiler aside. Now using the blender, blend up eggs on a low speed until frothy. Pour the frothy eggs into a bowl that will go on top the boiler, and continue whisking eggs over a low heat to ensure the eggs are pasteurized and not raw when mixed in.
Going back to the blender, add the nip of puncheon rum together with the can of condensed milk, the eggs, the zest of the lemons, fresh nutmeg, bitters and one quart of the evapourated milk. Blend until combined. Pour the contents of the blender into the large mixing bowl. Here you can now add the rest of the milks, and the bottle of White rum. Whisk together and pour into bottles for sharing and storage in your refrigerator. Serve over a glass with ice, you can top with a dash of bitters or gratings of fresh nutmeg. While the rum preserves it, ideally it should be consumed within a week of making.
Cheers !
Drink Responsibly, Don’t Drink and Drive, and enjoy safe at home.
Send your recipes to: islandcuisine@caribmagplus.com
#LordKitchener
#DrinkAhRum
#PoncheDeCreme
#AngosturaBitters
#ForresParkPuncheonRum
#WhiteOakRum
#TriniChristmas