My friend, Dave, gave me a copy of of David Wondrich’s fantastic Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl for my birthday, so I’ve been looking for an excuse to try making some boozy punch.

Luckily for me, I was recently “promoted” to the title of Chief Mixology Officer at work. We also now host a monthly gathering of geeks with drinks known as Ruby on Beer, so I thought I’d sneak something other than beer to the next party. Since I’m not the type to fly blind, I took the opportunity last Friday to make a batch of Fish House Punch for the office, just to try things out.

The results were definitely positive. Some folks were big, big fans, but I thought the flavors needed some rounding out. There were some sharp lemon notes and a big pop of sweet that required some smoothing.

Since the next Ruby on Beer is this Thursday, I felt like I needed some more practice. Today I started into making something when I realized I didn’t have any brandy or cognac in the house (I’m generally not a big fan, so no surprise, really.). Rather than make a run out to the packy to pick some up, I figured I’d just make something up.

I broke a few “rules” by using bourbon in my mixture, but it turns out I’m pretty good at making stuff up. ;^)

Punchin’ Judy

• For the oleo saccharum, peel four lemons and muddle the rinds in a cup of small crystal raw sugar.
• Let the lemon peels sit in the sugar for at least half an hour. The sugar will draw out the oils in the rind.
• Add the following to the oleo saccharum:
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 2 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau, Triple Sec, etc.)
  • 2 cups dark spiced rum (I used Kraken)
  • 2 cups bourbon (I went with Jim Beam)
  • 4 cups black tea steeped medium-strong
• Remove the lemon rinds and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour or two (I failed at this step)
• Serve with a big brick of ice and lemon wheels floating in it

This punch is delightfully easy to drink. Perhaps also dangerously easy to drink, because it definitely packs a wallop!