Happy Hour — Make a Planter's Jab

A miniaturized Planter's Punch that doesn't hit you quite as hard.

In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about the Planter’s Punch, a boozy, basic, rum cocktail that’s the key to tiki drinks. 

A Planter’s Punch is always delicious, especially on a hot summer evening. But it’s also...kind of a lot. Maybe too much. Sometimes three whole ounces of rum is more than you really want in a single drink — or an evening. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to make a full-size version. Both of the recipes I wrote about last week reduce to something reasonably close to a 3:1:1 rum/lime/sugar ratio, plus a bitter/spice element or two. 

Understanding the ratio makes it easy enough to produce a snackable, fun-sized version of this drink that’s great for weekday drinking. Instead of crushed ice, I serve it on a big rock, Old Fashioned style, which makes a little more of a slow sipper — important for a smaller drink. The result is Planter’s Punch in condensed form. It’s still tasty, but it doesn’t hit you quite as hard. So we’ll call it Planter’s Jab. 

The real trick to this version is to find a sprig of mint — not just for garnish, but for including in the mix when you shake the drink. Dropping a few mint leaves into your shaker imbues the drink with a distinct yet not overpowering minty flavor, adding a subtle spice element that helps push this rum sour in a more tiki-ish direction.

As always, I recommend Appleton Signature for the rum, but you should feel free to experiment with any golden or dark Jamaican rum — or whatever other rum is in your bar cart.

Planter’s Jab

• 3 mint leaves, for shaking

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• ½ ounce rich (2:1) simple syrup 

• ½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

• 1 ½ ounces Jamaican rum, such as Appleton Signature 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients, including mint leaves, in a shaker. 

2. Add ice, then shake for 10-12 seconds until thoroughly chilled. 

3. Strain into a rocks glass over a single large block of ice.

4. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig.