17 hours of travel from Portland, Oregon to Fort de France, Martinique have left me groggy and hungry. I’ve had nothing to eat except some horribly stale chips in the San Juan airport, and the 40 minute drive along the coast of Martinique to St. Pierre isn’t helping things. Luckily, when I arrived with my traveling companions at our lodgings for the night, a simple repast of bread, salad and the ubiquitous codfish fritters known as accras was waiting for us. Even more tempting though, was a small tray holding a bottle of Neisson rhum agricole blanc, a few cut limes, sirop de canne (cane syrup) and a bois lele swizzle with which to mix the island specialty, Ti punch. On Martinique, the saying goes, “Chacun prepare sa propre mort” (each prepares his own death), and while I’ve consumed my fair share of Ti punch stateside, I wasn’t prepared for just how complex this little punch could be.

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