BarChick's cocktail of the week: Katch a Fire at Rudie's

If you love Jamaican rum or have always wanted to, this is your drink, says BarChick

Perfect holiday fare: the Katch a Fire at Rudie's

Barchick20 October 2015

What’s in it? Dark rum, mango juice, blue curaçao, lime juice, sugar syrup

Why should we try it? Because you’ve had more than your fair share of Prohibition cocktails and need a holiday without all the frills. This is the rum punch which classifies most others as basic and unbalanced; the ingredients are kept simple but it’s all about the execution and the quality of rums used. If you love Jamaican rum or have always wanted to, this is your drink. The mango gives it a fruity Jamaican edge, the fresh lime and sugar balance each other out, the rum packs one hell of a punch – and it’s bright green, which is never not fun. Even better, it comes to your table set ablaze. Just what you want from a holiday drink.

Where do we get it? Far from your stock ‘rammed and gallingly hip’ Dalston dive, this killer new jerk den isn’t trying to be too much of anything, just wicked jerk, Jamaican fare and one hell of a Caribbean rum collection. Decor wise imagine a flat you’d find in a warehouse in North Brooklyn and you’re not far off. Rudie’s has just hit the scene so it’s always busy and buzzing but the crowd are chilled and the staff cheeky.

Come hungry as the portions are definitely not paltry and prices not extortionate. If you need guidance the staff are knowledgeable without being patronizing, so ask away. Or just eat like BarChick and get a whole lobster rubbed with scotch bonnet and lime butter.