By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
By the end of your stay at Anguilla bed-and-breakfast Las Esquinas, you’ll have enjoyed the intimacy of a guest house, the luxury of a private villa, and the amenities of a hotel. But first, within minutes of arriving, you’ll enjoy something else: Las Esquinas’ Crappy Rum Punch.
Why “crappy?”
“Well, my mother was a cordon bleu chef so in I never really considered myself to be much in the kitchen,” explains Robin Ogilvie, owner of the beachfront Little Harbour B&B, which turns two-years-old today. “My punch is just something I throw together casually. I don’t measure, and I NEVER add garnish. That just gets in the way of the rum! I simply prepare it as I would for friends.”
Which means that you can expect a generous pour of alcohol; a side of fresh-baked kale or coconut chips; and a suitably classic Caribbean setting in which to sip your punch, on an oceanfront pool terrace at sunset. And Robin’s heartful hospitality means that top-ups are encouraged; ice refills are no problem, and good conversation accompanies every swig.
With just four ingredients, the punch couldn’t be easier to prepare. You can use the rum of your choice. Robin, however, favors Pyrat, a brand that was formerly produced on island but is now manufactured in Guyana.
“When I heard they were moving the factory I went to every supermarket and cleaned them out of their locally made stock,” Robin says with a twinkle in her eye. “Now I’ve got a supply to last me a while.”
Which is the best crappy news we’ve heard in a long time.
Las EsQuinas’ Crappy Rum Punch
Ingredients
1 part Pyrat (or other gold rum)
1 part sparkling water
½ part guava juice
½ pineapple juice
Method
Fill a tumbler with ice. Add rum, juices and water, in that order. Stir well. Drink well!