Episode 117 Planters Punch

Nov 3

Ep. 117: Three Sheets, Pineapple Beats, and Walnut Treats – Planters Punch

Welcome to Season 7 episode 117 of The Art of Drinking with Join Jules and Your Favorite Uncle

Pour yourself a glass and join Uncle Brad as he breaks down the classic Planters Punch—before Jules jazzes it up with a tropical pineapple-basil twist that'll transport you straight to the islands. Brad takes us on a spirited journey through the cocktail and Jamaican rum’s history and reveals the nautical origins of being "three sheets to the wind" (spoiler: it's not about bedding). The duo wraps things up by tackling a listener question from @waterscott about the mysterious art of using walnut bitters. Whether you're a rum enthusiast or just here for the good vibes, this episode serves up history, humor, and a whole lot of flavor.

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Quick History of Planter’s Punch

Planter’s Punch is one of the OG rum cocktails — like pre-Tiki by decades.

The earliest printed reference shows up in 1878 in a London magazine called Fun. But the drink was associated with Jamaica long before that. “Planter” originally referred to British/Jamaican plantation owners (sugarcane → molasses → rum).

The formula they printed looked like a poem recipe:

“One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.”

…and that rhyme pretty much becomes the blueprint for hundreds of rum punch variations we know today.

By the 1910s–1920s it’s everywhere: hotel menus, cruise ship menus, Caribbean resorts, American bar manuals.

Then in the 1930s-1950s Tiki explodes in the US, Trader Vic’s / Don the Beachcomber and Planter’s Punch becomes the template for the rum sour + tropical spice style that Tiki would build on.

Fun Facts

• It’s older than Mai Tais, Zombies, etc. — this is a pre-Tiki Tiki drink
• The poetic ratio became known as “the Jamaican Cocktail Rule.”
• The original Planter’s Punch likely didn’t contain grenadine, which was an American later addition.
• Ernest Hemingway famously drank versions of it in the Caribbean islands.
• Jamaica still claims bragging rights and rightly so.

This weeks tip section will be dedicated to answering YOUR questions