Now let’s talk punch. Punch should be balanced and easy to drink. A crowd pleaser. Approachable for those who don’t enjoy a spirit-forward cocktail and easily accessible for helping one’s self to a refill. Welcoming guests with a well-made punch reassures them that the party probably won’t be a drag and shows off your mad cocktail making skills. An easy way to remember classic punch proportions is: one of sour (lime, lemon, choice of acid), two of sweet (sugar), three of strong (traditionally arrack, rum, or other dark spirit), four of weak (chilled non-alcoholic liquid for dilution, traditionally tea but water, soda, juice all suffice), and spice (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.). You can Mr. Potato Head ingredients in and out to suit your palate if you follow basic proportions and respect the sweetness/ acidity levels of your ingredients. It’s an easily customizable batched cocktail that is sure to please and is inexpensive to make.
Ingredients
- 4 unwaxed lemons, peeled with as little white pith left behind as possible (24 hours before serving, reserving fruit for juicing before serving)
- 6 ounces caster sugar
- 6 ounces fresh lemon juice from previously peeled lemons (juice immediately before serving for best results)
- 1 (750 ml) bottle Window’s Migaki Gold Shochu
- 1 liter chilled jasmine green tea* (or choice of non-alcoholic liquid to dilute punch)
- fresh, whole nutmeg
Preparation
For ice
Water, soda, juice, Zima, etc. Choice of thinly sliced citrus, pineapple, berries, edible flowers, THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Choice of mold (silicone/metal bundt pan for ice ring, cupcake pan for ice cups, deep baking sheet for ice shards)
24 hours before
Locate punch bowl with 4 liter capacity or larger. Find an appropriate ladle that won’t make a mess when your guests start to get tipsy. Add choice of fruit to bundt cake pan/cupcake pan/ cookie sheet, cover with choice of liquid leaving some fruit still sticking out. If using bundt cake pan, first freeze a shallow layer of liquid over fruit design to ensure that the design doesn’t float around as you move it to the freezer. Once set, fill the rest of the pan with liquid and freeze overnight.
Peel lemons and place peels in mason jar with tight fitting lid. Add 6 ounces caster sugar, seal, shake, and leave overnight to make oleo saccharum. What’s oleo saccharum, you ask? Sugar oil. The base of a well-made punch lending body, sweetness, acid, and nuance.
Immediately before serving
Add 6 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juice to oleo saccharum jar. Reseal and shake until dissolved. Viola! You’ve made a lemon oleo saccharum shrub. Look at you! #mixology
Pour contents of jar into punch bowl, peels and all. Add bottle of shochu (or choice of spirit as this is a versatile recipe; just keep in mind the ABV of the spirit and dilute accordingly) and chilled green tea or choice of non-alcoholic liquid to punch bowl.
Now get the ice out of the freezer. To remove from mold, if using metal, dip bottom of pan in warm water for a few seconds and tap on counter to release, invert over cutting board until it slips out. If using silicone, just peel away. Slowly slide into punch bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes. Worth noting, if using any kind of carbonated liquid for ice, it will melt rather quickly. I recommend chilling the punch if using soda in this method.
Grate 1⁄3 of a whole nutmeg over top of punch, use ladle to stir and serve into cute little tea cups, or solo cups, or just straight into your mouth.
