I’ve been reading David Wondrich’s Punch and I’m in love with the whole idea of punches. Getting a bunch of people together around a big bowl of something tasty and drinking the night away sounds so fun. It also sounds nice to be able to prepare a great drink for everyone without having to spend too much of my time away from my guests shaking up individual drinks.
I’ve mixed up a few batches of Philadelphia Fish House Punch and it’s now one of my favorite drinks. Does anyone here have a favorite punch recipe?
P.S. If you haven’t read Punch or Imbibe!, I wholeheartedly recommend them. David Wondrich is a really fun writer and cocktail history is a really interesting subject (to me, at least).
Philadelphia Fish House Punch is an absolute banger! I’m also a big fan of the Chatham Artillery Punch and Charles Dickens’ Punch for the colder months. Be careful with that Chatham punch though, it really will make the party go crazy if you’re not carful…
I’ve done the Gin Punch from the book Speakeasy (from the NYC bar Employees Only) a few times, to great effect. It feels very fancy to pour champagne on top of your punch before serving!
- 750 ml Plymouth Gin
- 1 ¾ cup lemon juice
- 1 ¼ cup simple syrup
- ½ cup orgeat or almond syrup
- 1 cup crème de framboise
- 3 cups water
- 6 navel oranges
- 6 lemons
- 3 limes
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 pineapple
- 750 ml brut champagne
Makes 5 ¾ quarts. Cut the oranges into quarter-wheels, the lemons into half-wheels, the limes into wheels, and the pineapple into 1-inch cubes. Combine all fruits in a large punch bowl. Add the gin, juice, syrups, crème de framboise, and water. Refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours. Just before serving, and the champagne and a decorative ice block.
I have done many pitchers and few punches. Not entirely sure why. But did make a “blood punch” with skull ice for Halloween one year. Cranberry vodka, basically. Cranberry juice, bottle of vodka, OJ concentrate, some Italian blood orange soda. Lemon juice to balance it (was too sweet). And all the skull ice cubes.
