Four I'm Under My Host

Punch has made a big comeback in recent years and even spawned punch-focused bars…at least in the hipster districts of San Francisco (e.g. Hobson’s Choice). While I’m not a huge fan of most punches (too fruity), I will admit that there is something festive about a full punch bowl. And something even more festive about an empty one!  And when you’re entertaining 50+ people, like we were recently, it certainly allows the host to enjoy the party without being tied up behind the bar.

So I settled on Chatham Artillery Punch for our occasion because I thought it would please everyone including my discriminating mixology partners:

• 8 lemons
• 1 pound superfine sugar
• 750-milliliter bottle of bourbon. I used Maker’s Mark.
• 750-milliliter bottle Cognac. You don’t need to be too fancy here.
• 750-milliliter bottle dark Jamaican rum…I would avoid the spiced stuff.
• 3 bottles Champagne or other sparkling wine. Don’t skimp to much on the champagne…it makes a difference.
• Nutmeg

First, peel the lemons so you just have the yellow rind and none of the white part. You’ll see some online recipes that ask you to peel the lemons after you’ve juiced them. Good luck with that sequence of events. Reserve the peels.

Now juice the lemons…you want approximately 16 oz (punches do not require scientific levels of precision!) and, depending on your lemons, you may need one or two more or fewer. Refrigerate the juice and save a few of the squeezed lemons for the next step.

Muddle the peels, a few of the reserved squeezed lemons and the sugar. The reason I use the reserved lemons is to add a little moisture to the mix to help the muddling. Let the mixture sit for an hour and muddle it again. Remove the squeezed lemons but keep the peels with the sugar and place them in a punch bowl. Add the hard liquor and then the champagne. Grind fresh nutmeg on top to taste.

You can put a bunch of ice cubes in the punch to keep it cold but that also dilutes it. There are elaborate solutions to this problem (readers…please make suggestions) but I settled two methods. First, I put all the hard liquor (not the Champagne!) in the freezer so it was good and cold. The Champagne was in the fridge. I also made  a big block of ice using a mixing bowl and placed it into the bowl. The frozen booze and the reduced surface area that results from a big block of ice means the ice melts more slowly. I also put a bucket of small ice cubes next to the punch bowl for those who wanted a more diluted drink.

Finally, use a ladle to serve in small glass cups making sure you get a piece of peel into each glass. This recipe makes about 30 cups of punch an you should have plenty of peels.

Enjoy! And let me know if you have a favorite punch.

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1. A Taste of Persia