Make Your Planter’s Punch With Bénédictine

Bénédictine tiki summer continues.

In a recent newsletter, I argued that Bénédictine was an underutilized tiki ingredient—a sort of cheat code that combines the sweetness and spice of tiki into a single, no-prep bottle.

After all, the essence of tiki is the Daiquiri, plus spice. And the definitional tiki drink is the Planter’s Punch, a sort of oversized, rum-heavy, crushed-ice Daiquiri with some extra spice.

So of course I think you can make a Planter’s Punch with Bénédictine.

I don’t know if I’m the first person to suggest this, but I’ve never seen it done quite this way before. Yet it’s very much in keeping with popular modern renditions of Planter’s Punch.

Smuggler’s Cove, the San Francisco tiki institution overseen by Martin Cate, who is probably modern tiki’s most successful recipe engineer, makes their Planter’s Punch with Allspice Dram, a spiced liqueur.

One of the most popular and well-known Planter’s Punch recipes amongst internet tiki heads comes from the late Stephen Remsberg, who was one of the world’s foremost rum collectors. His very simple recipe took the Daiquiri trio—rum, lime, and sugar—and added Angostura Aromatic bitters.

Bénédictine doesn’t taste precisely like Angostura or Allspice Dram. You wouldn’t mistake them. I’m not saying it’s a one-to-one substitute.

But conceptually, there’s a lot of overlap. Bénédictine has a similar sort of wintry, spice-rack flavor profile that lends itself to the same sort of usage.

Casting Bénédictine

To return to the casting metaphor that I often use, Bénédictine is a different actor that can play the same role.

I recently saw F1, and I couldn’t help but try to recast the Brad Pitt role. Who else could play the part? Who else has the handsomely weathered age, but also the surly-charming magnetism, and the believable athleticism? George Clooney often pairs well with Pitt, but doesn’t have the right type of athleticism. Tom Cruise has already made his racing movie. And besides, he got to fly fighter jets. Someone else needs to get behind the wheel of a Formula One car.

What about Michael Fassbender? Possibly. Quite possibly. It could work! But that’s a very different movie. And yet—maybe it’s still a pretty good one.

The same kind of thinking about casting and roles can work for cocktails.

In a Planter’s Punch, Bénédictine can play the same part—even if it makes for a somewhat different drink.

My recipe calls for two rums—my go-to Appleton Estate Signature and the higher-proof Smith & Cross—rather than one, both of which are tiny tiki bar essentials.

The Bénédictine plays exceptionally well with the interplay between the high-proof funk of the Smith & Cross and the mellow smoothness of the Appleton.

With three ounces of rum, it’s a big boozy drink, and yet it goes down easy. Possibly too easy.

But it’s Bénédictine tiki summer. Too easy might be, well…just about right.

Bénédictine Planter’s Punch

• ¼ ounce Bénédictine

• ¾ ounce rich (2:1) Demerara syrup*

• 1 ounce fresh lime juice

• 1 ounce Smith & Cross Jamaican rum

• 2 ounces Appleton Estate Signature Jamaican rum

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.

2. Add ice, then shake briefly to chill and dilute.

3. Strain into a glass over crushed or pebble ice.

4. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

*Rich (2:1) demerara syrup: Combine two parts demerara sugar with one part water, by weight (so for example 400 grams sugar and 200 grams water), in a blender. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes until fully integrated. Bottle and store in the fridge. Keeps for a month or more.

These Pups Never Need Recasting