Hosting a holiday gathering? Time to break out the punch bowl.
Punch is a host’s secret weapon: It can be made in advance, frees you from bartending duty all night and sets the tone with a festive centerpiece. Plus, it’s endlessly adaptable to the season, like an allspice-and-rye blend (see the Sand Dunes Punch recipe below) that tastes like Christmas ladled into a cup.
As Vince Polizzi, bar manager at Adrift Tiki Bar and a punch enthusiast, puts it: “Punches are a communal drink — and the holidays are innately communal.”
Punches have a long history, too, dating to 18th-century America when they were made primarily with brandy, rum or Madeira wine.
“We can trace mixed drinks back to punches,” Polizzi said.
Death Sentence punch at Adrift Tiki Bar. (Casey Wilson, provided by Adrift Tiki Bar)When it comes to making punches to please a crowd, you can remember a Caribbean rhyme to understand proportions: “One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak.”
For the weak part, skip diluting your punch with water. Polizzi likes to brew an artisanal loose-leaf tea, and finds some great tea blends with spices at Old Barrel Tea company, which has locations in Golden and Denver.
“To me, the secret of a great punch is a high-quality tea,” he said. “It brings down the ABV, so you can drink throughout the evening without embarrassing yourself in front of your grandma.”
Plus, aged rums and brandies have tannins and the tea kind of interacts with that, making for a sip that tastes festive and nostalgic.
Another way to punch up your punch, Polizzi said, is with an oleo saccharum. The classic punch ingredient can be made by combining citrus peels with sugar in a Mason jar to draw out their aromatic oils. You’ll need to prepare this at least a day in advance to let the maceration process work its magic.
Finally, invest in a high-quality rum without additives. Polizzi likes Appleton Estate, Foursquare, Mount Gay and El Dorado Rum.
Of course, if you’d rather sip than stir this holiday season, plenty of Denver bars are serving festive punches.
At Adrift Tiki Bar (218 S. Broadway), the Halloween takeover Nightmare in Paradise ran through November with various punches, but has since transitioned to its holiday pop-up Snowdrift.
Venom and Vice punch at Adrift Tiki Bar. (Casey Wilson, provided by Adrift Tiki Bar)Ahead, three holiday punch recipes using Colorado spirits as a base.
Apocalypse Punch
Serves 20. Source: Breckenridge Distillery.
INGREDIENTS
1 bottle (750ml) Breckenridge Gin
90 ounces cran-raspberry juice
16 ounces lemon zinger tea
10 ounces rosemary simple syrup (see note)
Citrus wheels (for garnish)
DIRECTIONS
1. Add all ingredients to a punch bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Garnish with citrus wheels.
3. Note: To make rosemary simple syrup: over medium heat, add 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 5 rosemary sprigs. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat, let cool, strain and refrigerate.
Friendsgiving Punch
Friendsgiving Punch. (Provided by Breckenridge Distillery)Serves 10. Source: Breckenridge Distillery
INGREDIENTS
1 bottle (750 ml) Breckenridge Bourbon
12 ounces peach brandy
16 ounces Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Tea syrup*
16 ounces lemon juice
10 ounces cranberry juice
Tangerine tea syrup (see note)
Orange wheels, lemon wheels, cranberries (to garnish)
DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to a punch bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.2. Note: To make tangerine tea syrup: Bring 2 cups water and 3 Celestial Seasonings tangerine pouches to a rolling boil for eight minutes. Remove pouches and add 1 1/2 cups sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, bottle and refrigerate.
3. Garnish with fruits and serve.
Sand Dunes Punch at The Family Jones. (Casey Wilson, provided by The Family Jones)Sand Dunes Punch
Serves 4-6. Source: The Family Jones
INGREDIENTS
6 ounces Atticus Jones Straight Rye
3.5 ounces demerara syrup
2.5 ounces peach liqueur
2 ounces allspice dram liqueur
2 ounces Falernum liqueur
7 ounces chamomile tea (brewed strong, cooled)
1/2 ounce mezcal
3 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 ounces fresh orange juice
DIRECTIONS
1. Brew and chill chamomile tea ahead of time.
2. Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl or large pitcher.
3. Add a big block of ice (or plenty of cubes) just before serving.
4. Stir well to integrate and chill.
Hence then, the article about make these 3 holiday punch recipes like a pro was published today ( ) and is available on Ukiah Daily Journal ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Make these 3 holiday punch recipes like a pro )
Also on site :
- My Daughter’s Friend Has a Crush on My Husband. It’s Making Us Both Deeply Uncomfortable.
- Manchester United vs Newcastle Prediction: Heavyweights Meet in Premier League’s Only Boxing Day Clash
- Sanofi to Acquire Dynavax, Adding a Marketed Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine and Phase 1/2 Shingles Candidate to the Pipeline