The ti' punch recipe
for your table
Pour the cane syrup into a small, thick-walled glass.
Squeeze the lime slice over the glass, then drop it in. Don't crush it with a muddler, as that releases the bitterness from the peel.
Pour in the rhum agricole blanc and stir briefly with a bar spoon until the syrup has been incorporated.
Drink it at room temperature, or add at most one ice cube when it's warm.
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The story
In Martinique and Guadeloupe, the ti' punch isn't finished by the bartender. The bottle of rum, a bowl of cane syrup, and a small dish of lime are brought to the table, and everyone makes their own glass. That's where the saying chacun prépare sa propre mort comes from: everyone makes their own. So there isn't really a fixed ratio: one person uses barely any syrup, another takes a full spoonful. What is fixed is what belongs in it - rhum agricole blanc, something sweet made from sugar cane, and lime - and what doesn't: a glass full of ice that dilutes the drink until little is left of it.
The right glass
A ti' punch is small: five centiliters of rum with some syrup and a slice of lime barely fills a third of a regular highball glass. You therefore want a low, thick-walled glass of around nine to thirteen centiliters, so the drink does not disappear and you can easily hold the glass in your hand. We do not carry the French verre à ti punch itself; the smallest models from our shot glasses and the Picardie tumblers below come closest.
Duralex Picardie Tumbler 9 cl (6 pieces)
Duralex Picardie Tumbler 13 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 21,90.
The right tools
For a ti' punch, in addition to the glass, you use a bar spoon to measure and stir and a jigger to measure precisely. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our pick 01) + 2 bar tools together € 35,85.
What do you use to make a ti' punch?
For a ti' punch, you need rhum agricole blanc, a rum made from fresh sugarcane juice. Well-known rum bottles on the site include Havana Club and Captain Morgan, both made from molasses. On every drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it goes with and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Leave out the syrup and you're left with rum and lime, a much more austere drink that is by no means unusual in the region. If you use a spoonful of loose cane sugar instead of syrup, you'll need to stir longer, and some granules will remain at the bottom, which some people actually enjoy. Add a splash of cold water and an ice cube to make the drink longer and lighter. If you prefer to stick with cane sugar and lime but want ice, take a look at the caipirinha or the daiquiri. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Servingtip
Simply put the bottle, syrup, and a small dish of lime on the table and let everyone fill their own glass; that's part of the drink. Keep the rum at room temperature, because agricole served ice-cold loses the grassy character you want to taste. Drink it in small sips, not in one gulp.
Good to know
What exactly rhum agricole is
Most rum in the world is distilled from molasses, the syrupy residue left after sugar has been extracted from sugarcane. Rhum agricole is distilled from freshly pressed cane juice, without that intermediate step. You can taste the difference: while molasses rum tends toward caramel and toffee, agricole is grassy and vegetal, with a sharp, almost green edge. The style is associated with the French-speaking Caribbean, with Martinique as its best-known origin. Blanc means the rum has not been aged in wood, and it is precisely this unaged version that belongs in this glass.
Why you only squeeze the lime
A lime wedge consists of three things: juice, peel with its oils, and the white pith in between. You want the juice and oil, but not the pith, because it's bitter and releases a harsh, dry flavor when muddled. So squeeze the wedge over the glass to capture the juice and a hint of oil from the peel, then simply drop it into the glass. If it sits there for a long time, more peel flavor will seep in, so fish it out if you're taking a while to drink it.
Why it doesn't contain ice
A ti' punch is not shaken or stirred over ice, so no meltwater is added. That's the point: you drink the rum almost neat, with only lime and a little sweetness to open it up. Fill the glass with ice and the drink will go flat within a few minutes, making the grassy character you buy agricole for disappear. If it's warm, stick to a single cube and drink it quickly enough afterward.
Sirop de sucre de canne is not the same as sugar syrup
Ordinary sugar syrup is made from white granulated sugar and water, and provides sweetness without its own flavor. Sirop de sucre de canne is made from cane sugar or concentrated cane juice, giving it a fuller, slightly molasses-like note that suits agricole. You can make it yourself by dissolving equal parts cane sugar and water, optionally using slightly more sugar than water for a thicker syrup. If you use ordinary sugar syrup, the drink will taste a little more plain.
The ratio is a matter of taste
Chacun prépare sa propre mort, everyone makes their own, is not an empty expression: the drink is assembled at the table rather than finished by the bartender. Half a bar spoon of syrup is a good starting point, but some people use hardly any and others use a full spoonful. Start with less, because you can always add more but cannot take it out. Therefore, place the syrup beside the glass instead of stirring it in beforehand for your guests.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a ti' punch?
A ti' punch contains 5 cl rhum agricole blanc, half a bar spoon of cane sugar syrup, and a lime wedge that you squeeze and drop into the glass. Serve it in a small glass, without ice or with no more than one ice cube.
What is rhum agricole?
Rhum agricole is rum distilled from freshly pressed cane juice instead of molasses. As a result, it tastes grassy and vegetal rather than caramel-like. Blanc means it has not been aged in wood.
Does a ti' punch contain ice?
No. A ti' punch is not stirred or shaken with ice, so no meltwater is added. If it is warm, a single ice cube can be added, but a glass full of ice makes the drink watery.
What glass do you serve a ti' punch in?
In a small, thick-walled tumbler glass of approximately nine to thirteen centiliters, so the small amount of drink does not disappear. See our tumbler glasses for suitable models.
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