Drinking Rum Punch on Providenciales

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I've had the opportunity to travel to a variety of places around the Caribbean, from St. Lucia to St. Martin and even the Dominican Republic, but the one place that I keep coming back to is Provo and the Turks and Caicos.

For one thing, it's easy to get to from Toronto, where I spend most of my time in the trenches as a copywriter and editor (I tend to spend more and more time in Toronto these days, away from my beloved garden in Victoria, BC), but the Turks and Caicos is also pretty special - it's laid back but convenient, and is also quite beautiful, with plenty of things to do.

Anyway, while I'll talk a little bit more about my favorite haunts on the island in subsequent blog post, to get you in the mood and truly understand what it's like (at least for me) when I first arrive: I drink rum punch at Hemingway's , a little beachfront restaurant on Grace Bay Beach.

The punch is pretty tasty, and is the perfect complement to watching the sun set over the Caribbean (my flight from Toronto generally arrives in the late afternoon, just as the sun sets).

Here's a list of ingredients:

1 oz Bambarra coconut rum
1 oz Bambarra dark rum
3oz orange juice
3oz pineapple juice
1 oz grenadine
Float with Myers dark rum
Cherry/pineapple garnish

Interestingly enough, the Turks and Caicos don't have a native rum industry, although there is a national brand, Bambara, which is made with blends imported into the Turks and Caicos.

I asked Terry Drummey, the owner of Hemingway's, why this is, and he mentioned that it's because the thin, alkaline soil of the Turks and Caicos just doesn't support growing sugarcane, the primary ingredient of rum.

Drummey opened Hemmingway's in 1996 at the Sands resort at Grace Bay, on Providenciales, at that time a little-known island floating in the Caribbean beyond Cuba and the Bahamas. More than a decade later, as the Turks and Caicos has attracted more and more visitors, Hemminway's has become the heart of Grace Bay, recently voted one of the top beaches in the world.

The cool thing is that there's a little bronze bell on the beach guests can ring in order to summon JoJo, the "ambassador dolphin" of the Turks and Caicos. I've seen dozens of people ring the bell, but I've never seen JoJo show up, so this may be something for the tourists.

If you are a solo traveler like me, I can't really recommend Hemingway's one way or the other as a place to eat, as it's aimed more at families and honeymooners. But if you like a good rum punch it's worth traveling to the Sands resort. If you're not staying in the area, it's best to take a taxi, as parking is pretty limited during high season.

I didn't get a chance to stay at the Sands this time around - I stayed at the Somerset, which, incidentally, is owned and operated by the Hartling Group. Stan Hartling, the president of the group, is from my alma mater, Saint Mary's University (SMU), and he has worked hard over the years to develop the island of Provo (his next big project is The Shore Club on the windward side of the island). It's the SMU connection that led me to the Turks and Caicos in the first place. I had read something about Stan Hartling, and became intrigued about the islands. I'm glad I came, and I look forward to sharing my experiences on the Turks and Caicos and other Caribbean islands on this blog!

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