I originally had planned to start this off with a mention of the sudden shift we’ve had from freezing cold to sunny and 80-someodd degrees.  We seem to have skipped spring all-together, I would have said, and bounded into the days of BBQs and backyard events.  At least that’s how it seemed last week when I refilled the propane tank, stocked up on alcohol, and proceeded to have my first enjoyable all-hours-outdoors day of the year so far.

However, to little surprise, this past weekend was not as beautiful.  An inaccurate weather forecast on Friday led to me being stuck visiting in New Brunswick with only warm-weather clothes, which also led to 3 hours of being soaking wet and cold as I watched James and many of my friends in their college graduation ceremony, which also led to this wicked cough I’m sporting and the empty bag of Icy Strawberry Halls cough drops resting next to my keyboard.  Sounds like the effects of spring to me…

Not to worry though, because the temperature is quickly rising again and by this weekend we’ll be back into beautiful weather territory.  Then we can pretend those few ugly days of spring were just a figment of our imaginations and celebrate the warm sun (and new graduates!) with a pitcher or two of Captain’s Passion Punch.

I personally drink a lot of Captain Morgan, which is probably due both to my love of rum and the fact that this particular rum and I share a name.   I know a surprising amount of people who say they aren’t fond of spiced rum, but I truthfully think, more times than not, they just haven’t found the right cocktail to use it in yet.   The spice of Captain Morgan balances wonderfully with tropical fruit flavors or nutty liquors, and it works fantastic for both summertime drinks and holiday cocktails.

When I decided to make punch this past week, I knew I wanted to use Captain Morgan, but was surprised to see that there really aren’t many spiced rum punch recipes out there that are good for the summer.  That’s when I remembered one of my favorite drinks that I order at TGI Fridays, Captain Morgan Island Rum Punch.  Using similar ingredients, I decided to make my own version, and thus Captain’s Passion Punch was born.

This punch features Captain Morgan, Amaretto, passion fruit juice, pineapple juice, and fresh raspberries.  It’s quick to put together and it’s delicious, which means it will definitely be made again at my house!  I actually still have some leftover punch in the fridge (I made a lot), but that will be gone after I get home from work today.  I’ve gotta do something to numb this sore throat, after all.

Make this for your next get-together, or simply mix up a few glasses for yourself.  Feel free to experiment with the ingredient proportions until you get a strength and flavor that is right for you.  Luckily, you can’t really mess up with this– no matter what you do, it’s going to taste good!