tea punch

1/2 oz Clement Rhum Agricole VSOP
1/2 oz Plantation 5 Year Barbados Rum
1 oz Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Black Tea Syrup (*)

Stir with ice and strain into a punch cup containing an ice cube. Garnish with a lemon wheel and dash Angostura Bitters on top of it.
(*) Prepared with lemon and orange zest in the oleo saccharum.

Two Sundays ago, I wandered over to Backbar and found a seat in front of bartender Sam Treadway. For a starter, I looked to the Tradesman section of the menu and spotted the Tea Punch. With rhum agricole in the mix, I asked Sam if the name was a play on 'Ti Punch. Sam replied that the name was literal with tea in the mix and a play on 'Ti Punch except that they changed almost everything else about it; so perhaps that was a polite way of saying no or perhaps it shows that riffs can be taken quite far. Sam went on to explain that he preferred the soft richness of the drink when it was stirred so they opted not to shake this citrus-laden libation.
The lemon wheel garnish donated a bright aroma over that of the rum's caramel and the sherry's nutty grape. The lemon and grape elements continued on into the sip, and these were followed by the grassiness of the rhum agricole and the richness of the Plantation Rum. Finally, the punch finished with tea, nuttiness, and citrus notes.