Hot Punch

Citrus Sherbet #2 & Hot Ruby Punch

/ Dani DeLuna / 2 Comments

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Happy Holidays y’all! Citrus season is upon us and it’s time for the next experiment in my quest to find the best Citrus Sherbet ever! For my second Citrus Sherbet, I wanted to focus on the flavor of Grapefruit but that poses a bit of a problem in this country.

“Why?” You may ask?

Ideally, White Grapefruit would make an excellent Sherbet but every damn market only sells Ruby Red and Ruby Red contains entirely too much sweetness for proper cocktailing! So what’s a Home Bar Gurrrrl or Dude to do? Simple, add Lemon.

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In order to make Sherbet, we must first make Oleo-Saccharum.

Citrus Oleo Saccharum #2:

  • the peel of 1 Ruby Red Grapefruit
  • the peels of 3 Lemons
  • 10 oz Demerara Sugar
  1. Combine ingredients in a jar or other sealable container and muddle so that the oil is released from the peels.
  2. Let sit in the jar overnight, shaking occasionally. You want a syrup to form from the Citrus oil and Sugar.

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Then it’s time to make Citrus Sherbet #2.

To the Citrus Oleo Saccharum you will add:

  • 6 oz Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
  • 6 oz Lemon Juice

Add juices to jar with the Oleo Saccharum, cover, and shake until sugars have dissolved in juice. Remove peels from jar and strain Sherbet into an airtight container. Will keep for approx 2 weeks in the fridge.

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Wahoooo! Now you have a Grapefruit forward Citrus Sherbet! What to do with it? Well, since Oleo Saccharum and Sherbet are traditional Punch ingredients, the obvious answer is PUNCH.

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I was already thinking “Hmmm Grapefruit would really slam with Batavia Arrack.” And then I had a shower thought (literally in the shower), “What about a hot tea punch?” I looked in David Wondrich’s Punch book for inspiration, lo and behold, there is a hot tea punch with Batavia Arrack!

Ruby Punch (Recipe from 1862, measurements according to my best calculations)

  • 48 oz Green Tea (6 tea bags)
  • 16 oz Sugar
  • ~12 oz Lemon Juice
  • 16 oz Batavia Arrack
  • 16 oz Ruby Port
  • Garnish: as much Nutmeg as you can stand

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Here’s my adapted recipe to go with Citrus Sherbet #2. No lie, it’s fucking fabulous and is one of the easiest drinking Punches I’ve ever tried.

Hot Ruby Punch (adapted for Citrus Sherbet #2)

  • 6 oz Hot Sencha Green Tea
  • 1 1/2 oz Citrus Sherbet #2
  • 2 oz Batavia Arrack
  • 1 1/2 oz Ruby Port
  • Garnish: a shit ton of Nutmeg

Add ingredients to mug with the hot tea being last. Garnish with a metric ton of fresh nutmeg.

There you have it! Happy Holidays and enjoy your Citrus Sherbet adventures!

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Punch for Two with infused spirits from Ethan + Ashe & Alkemista

/ Dani DeLuna / Leave a comment

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Alright y’all, today I’m pretty pumped to be talking about a Kickstarter project from Ethan + Ashe!

“WHUT GURL? Kickstarter? You’re talking to us about something that doesn’t exist yet?” Yeah y’all, I’m talking about Alkemista, an infusion kit for all of us home bartenders and it’s a pretty brilliant idea!

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So what is Alkemista? It’s a bottle with an ultra fine filter built into it, you just add the booze, spices/herbs/citrus peels/etc and steep until it’s ready. Easy pea-sheezy.

Ethan & Ashe sent me a box with the following infusions:

All three bottles were pretty damn tasty, so I was like “Alright, I’m diggin this Alkemista idea. I shall put it into a Punch recipe!”

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I decided to make some Spiced Apple Cider Punch and tried a couple of versions with the Black Denim Spice infused Bourbon and the Cinnamon infused Starrr Rum. Turns out both spirits worked awesomely, so I’ll give you the recipe.

To Make the Cider:

  • 48 oz Apple Cider
  • 5 tbsp mulling spices
  • 1 cinnamon stick, 1 long orange peel, star anise, peppercorn, 1 split vanilla bean
  1. Put everything in a pot and let it heat on lowwwwww for around 2 hrs. Don’t let it boil, only simmer.
  2. Strain through a cheesecloth, bottle, and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

 

Spiced Apple Cider Punch (for two)

  • 6 oz Spiced Cider
  • 1 oz Water
  • 1 oz Ruby Port
  • 1 oz Black Denim Spice infused Bourbon or Cinnamon infused Starrr Rum
  • 1/4 tsp (2 Barspoons) Lemon Sherbet
  • Garnish: freshly grated Nutmeg

Combine Cider, Water, Ruby Port, and Lemon Sherbet in a pot and heat over lowwwwww heat. You don’t want it to get anywhere near boiling, just warm it up. When the punch is hot, add the Spirits and stir.

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Yummmmmmm. Feels like fall man.

Thanks to Ethan & Ashe for letting me be part of this awesome Alkemista Kickstarter campaign!

DD’s Cider Punch

/ Dani DeLuna / 1 Comment

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It’s that spoooooky time of year! The time for sizzling dishes, ghoulish wishes, and festive gatherings. Seriously, if you’re throwing any kind of Halloween/Dia De Los Muertos/Harvest/I Love Autumn party, you can’t go wrong with Hot Apple Cider Punch!

I created this Punch last Friday for a party my illustrious girlfriend was attending that night. Being deep into Apple season, we decided go to with Apple Cider as the base and Rum as the main spirit. Let’s jump into the recipe.

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You’ll need spices. I recommend getting Mulling Spices that contain Allspice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Star Anise, Cloves, Black Peppercorn, and Orange peel.

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You’ll need spiced liqueurs. I wanted to pump up the Allspice, so I included some St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram. Then I wanted to add the luxurious sensuality of Bénédictine D.O.M. which has notes of honey, citrus, saffron, cardamom, ginger, and is super silky.

Lemon Sherbet

You’ll need Lemon Sherbet. You’re so shocked right? Unheard of that I would use Lemon Sherbet in a recipe.

Why Lemon Sherbet in Apple Cider? 1. It’s my fave ingredient right now. 2. Lemon gives the Punch some brightness and bite.

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You’ll need a big pot, ceramic dutch oven, or Crockpot. Simmer baby, simmmmmer.

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Everyone got their stuff ready? Awesome. (Note, the Lemon Sherbet isn’t in the photo cause I used it all!)

DD’s Cider Punch (serves 12*)

  • 70 oz Apple Cider**
  • 2 oz Lemon Sherbet
  • Mulling spices
  • 16 oz Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum
  • 4 oz Hamilton 151 Demerara Rum
  • 6 oz Allspice Dram
  • 6 oz Bénédictine D.O.M.
  • Garnish: Clove studded Apple slices
  • Glassware: Mugs
  1. Combine Cider, Mulling spices and Sherbet in pot and heat until liquid begins to simmer, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to looooooow and simmer for around 40 mins, or until the Mulling Spices have done their thing. “Nice spice, man.”
  2. Turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting. Add Liqueurs, Spirits and heat until the Punch is hot enough to drink but nowhere near simmering/boiling. You don’t want to cook the Alcohol out of the Punch, just warm the Punch back up.
  3. Serve in Mugs with Clove studded Apple slices.

*This recipe will yeilds ~104 oz Punch (evaporation could occur), which means 12 of your friends can have ~8 oz of Punch each, that is unless they’re big drinkers…

**I started with 64 oz Cider, and thought the Punch was awesome. My girlfriend thought it might be too strong for her friends and asked that I dilute a bit. I added 6 more oz of Apple Cider for a total of 70 oz of Cider. Then it was perfect. Remember, always ask your customers what they like most.

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Oh and y’all, these two Rums together, WOOOOOOOOO-eeeeeee. Killer combo! Both Plantation Barbados 5 and Hamilton Demerara 151 are in what I would call the “Smooth” category yet both have real depth of flavour without being too overpowering. If you’re using different Rums, I recommend staying in this category.

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Cheers to you and all your holiday Party Punches!