Meehan and Wondrich create Punch book

Acclaimed bar entrepreneur Jim Meehan has teamed up with cocktail historian David Wondrich to create a Punch-focused book in support of the European rollout of Banks Rum.

Jim Meehan has produced a new book featuring Punch recipes using Banks Rum

Co-created in 2008 by Meehan, who also launched famous New York speakeasy PDT, super-premium Banks Rum was acquired by international drinks group Bacardi in July last year.

The brand will now be made available to “top-tier accounts” in leading European cities, including London, Hamburg and Paris, and will be rolled out later in the year to cities in Scandinavia, Benelux and Southern Europe.

Bacardi Brown-Forman took over distribution for Banks Rum in the UK in January this year.

To support the expanded distribution network, Meehan’s new book A Voyage of Discovery, co-authored by Wondrich, features a number of cocktails created using Banks Rum.

The book also includes six Punch recipes from well-known bartenders around the world, including Carina Tsou, of Parisian bar Candelaria, and Davide Segat, of The London Edition.

European bars that stock Banks Rum will also receive a bespoke toolkit including a Punch bowl, cups and ladles.

“With the current resurgence in the popularity of Punch and the interest in the super-premium rum category within the trade, the introduction of Banks Rums to the Bacardi portfolio couldn’t have come at a better time,” said Jacob Briars, global advocacy VP at Bacardi.

“With Banks, the super-premium rum category has a brand that truly showcases just how flavoursome and versatile rum can be, as the recipes in this new book demonstrate.

“We’re honoured that David Wondrich collaborated with Jim to create A Voyage of Discovery and we’re really grateful to everyone who contributed to the book; we hope it inspires bartenders across Europe to experiment with their own Banks Rum Punch recipes.”