Ti-Punch” is a drink made from white rum, brown cane sugar and lime. It is also known as a “sec”. It can be drunk neat or in small sips, stirring the glass well at different times of the day.
Drunk very early in the morning, it is known as “take-off”. Older people used to follow this take-off ritual, which they believed gave them the strength to work in the fields. Ti-Punch is a true local tradition. It is said that “friends gather around it, and enemies are reconciled with it”.
In the past, the master of the house would receive his guests and share a Ti-Punch. His wife and children would bring the glasses, the cane sugar, a plate with freshly cut limes, and the bottle of rum. The guests would take the limes, and the host would serve the rum to the guests in their respective glasses. When the guest thought his glass was full enough, he would interrupt the host with a “To, c'est bon”. This was followed by discussions between the various guests or a game of dominoes.