Archive for the ‘Christian Brother’s’ tag
Companion Cocktails: Brandy Punch For the New Millennium.
Punch was a THE drink in early America.
I’m not referring to the sherbet laden slushy stuff your great-aunt pours sprite and “sparkling wine” into.
Early American punch was serious business. Every tavern served it, and every barkeep had a special way of preparing it. Punch was the “martini” of the 1860’s, a deceptively simple combination of spirits, juice, and ice.
Tavern owners (America’s first bartenders) tossed anything into their punches, but much like today, skillful blending separated boys from men.
The execution of a perfect punch was mixology in its earliest form.
Jerry Thomas, our blog’s muse and author of How to Mix Drinks: or The Bon Vivant’s Companion, opens his tome with recipes for punch and a statement that reads:
“…Thoroughly amalgamating all the compounds, so that the taste of neither the bitter, the sweet, the spirit, not the element, shall be perceptible one over the other, is the grand secret, only to be acquired by practice.
…. as scarcely two persons make punch alike.”
Mr. Thomas’ original Brandy Punch recipe calls for brandy, a dram of sugar, and wine glass of water.
Right.
After much experimentation, this is my version:
Brandy Punch
1 ½ oz Christian Bros. Brandy
(I think brandy gets a bad rap. It’s kinder and gentler than you remember – or think you remember.)
¼ oz Chambord
½ oz Morin Raspberry Syrup
¼ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
¼ oz Fresh Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit for Garnish
Pour all ingredients into a Boston Shaker. Shake until cold. Empty the entire contents of shaker into rocks glass.
Garnish with slice of pineapple, raspberries, or lemon – or all of the above.
