The strains are still somewhat faint, but once the tinsel of New Year’s has been brushed away the tempo of Trinidad life begins to quicken to the crescendo that is Carnival. From now until Carnival Tuesday I’ll be sharing the sights, sounds and TASTES of this annual celebration which some have called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’.

Unlike Fit4Mas or SaucyTrini I won’t be taking part in the festivities. No $$$/stamina I did however take part in 2005. I was only able to ‘jump up’ for a few hours each day cos of sensory overload issues but it was fun That’s me with one of my best friends below

As you can imagine libations are par for the course during the Carnival season. So, as I’ve already gotten several hits for “Trinidad Rum Punch” (and I expect more to arrive) I thought I would share the following recipe that I found on Chookooloonks.com.

Trinidadian Rum Punch (from Chookoloonks.com)

makes one gallon
1. Squeeze enough limes to make 2 cups fresh lime juice. Pour into a gallon container.

2. Pour 4 cups of water into a large pot, and heat to boiling. Once boiling, reduce to simmer, and START POURING SUGAR INTO THE POT LIKE A MADPERSON. Seriously, just keep pouring and stirring until the sugar dissolves, and keep doing this until the sugar-water mixture is the consistency of, say, cooking oil. You’re going to go through almost an entire pound of sugar, and worry about your dental health. Trust me, you haven’t made a mistake.

Once the sugar-water mixture is cool, add to the gallon container.

3. Pour 6 cups of golden rum into the gallon container. When in Trinidad, I use Fernandes Black Label rum; however, since it’s difficult to get Trini rum in the States, Bacardi Gold will do. Do NOT use white rum — it just doesn’t taste right. It has to be gold.

4. Stir, and pour over ice. Add a dash of Angostura Bitters (available at most liquor stores), and a dash of grated nutmeg to your glass.

5. Enjoy!