You don’t claim to serve some of the world’s best rum punch without having a drink to back it up. Cutters has just that.  The best way to taste their famous rum punch is, well, by visiting Barbados. If that’s not an option find someone who can bring the Very Special Rum Punch mix (they bottle it) home for you. Finally, you may as well take a crack at it at home, and what better time than a cold January evening for a taste of paradise?

The folks at Cutters (the name comes from the Bajan word for a sandwich made in a traditional hearty bread roll), wouldn’t give us every detail of their recipe, but here are the basics:

There is one rule for Cutters: Fresh. Every ingredient needs to be fresh. Otherwise, serve this recipe over ice and dream of the pink sand beaches of the Crane resort, only steps from Cutter’s restaurant.

• Dark Barbados rum: 3 parts
• Raw sugar, cane sugar and water boiled into simple syrup: 2 parts
• Fresh lime juice: 1 part
• A dash of Angostura bitters
• A dash of nutmeg

It’s easy to be biased towards the Cutter’s recipe when you’ve just returned from Barbados, but these other rum cocktails are undeniably also worth making at your pretend-it’s-still-summer beach party:

Bahama Mama recipe

Unlike Barbados, the Bahamas, a string of 700 islands, are in the heart of the Caribbean.  There are probably as many drinks as islands, but one we enjoy is the Bahama Mama. Serve the following over a cup of crushed ice.

• 1 part rum
• 1 part coconut rum
• 1 part grenadine
• 2 parts orange juice
• 2 parts pineapple juice

Mango Daiquiri recipe

Blend this together and voila! Feel free to substitute whatever fruit you like or mix and match to your taste.

• 3 parts rum
• 1 part triple sec
• 1.5 parts lime juice
• 1.5 cups of frozen mango cubes
• 2 cups ice

Mojito recipe

It may be a cliché, but made right a mojito is fit for…anyone of age who likes a good drink. Keep it simple. Use high quality white rum, muddle the mint (spearmint if you can find it) very gently and don’t go crazy on the sugar.  Serve over ice.

• 12 mint leaves
• 1.5 parts rum
• .5 parts fresh lime juice
• sugar to taste
• 2 parts soda water (or to taste)