Mural at Papa Zouk, Antigua
I have just completed a hefty rum & fish mural at Papa Zouk – the best rum shop in Antigua.
Founded many years ago by the unlikely combination of two Germans, it is today even more popular having survived a recent fire that nearly demolished the original premises. Run by Bert Kirschner and his wife Faye, I first featured this little rum shop in my Cool Caribbean Cocktail Book in 2007 with its recipe for P’tit Punch, its delicious if rather lethal signature cocktail. Papa Zouk also serves amazing whole grilled snapper and a variety of other fish dishes including my favorite, the bouillabaisse soup. The meal can be nicely rounded off with a taste or two from Bert’s wide selection of rums.
Papa Zouk off Dicknson Bay Street, St John’s, Antigua
The decor is simple but comfortable, the theme being fish and rum related. The tablecloths are made from the vibrant Antiguan madras cotton and there is the original gravel on the ground in the first section of the rum shop itself. There are five communal tables and a section of small tables for couples, and the atmosphere is always very friendly and buzzing….reservations are definitely recommended!
The rebuilding after the fire took place just over the last month or so and in order to replace a fish market scene that they had cherished, Bert and Faye asked me to paint a mural, incorporating the details of their lost painting. Fish and rum were naturally the main ingredients of this new image, which I enjoyed doing whilst listening to the zouk music that features here every night.
Tired but happy after finishing this rather mammoth work, I was delighted to be treated to a P’tit Punch on the house!
One of the communal tables with its vibrant Antiguan madras table cloth
Bert as he appears in my Cool Caribbean Cocktail Book published in 2007
Mural
Bert and Faye behind their colorful bar