I wrote a story on punch in The Journal News this week. I learned a lot, and so can you, if you read it! (Link here: Punch up your holiday drinks.) Then, to my wonderful surprse, Kris and Tom made the recipe I’d included from Jonathan Forster. I share it here with you, too. It’s delicious, and well worth the effort of a couple of steps.
Rum Spice Punch
By Jonathan M. Forester and from lohud.com. Makes about 14 to 16 (4-ounce) servings.
2 1/2 cups (21 ounces) El Dorado 8- and/or 12-year-old Demerara rum from Guyana (or other premium, aged rum)
2 teaspoons Angostura or other nice bitters
3 cups (24 ounces) water
1 heaping cup (9 ounces) Spice syrup No. 9 (recipe below)
Oleo-Saccharum (recipe below)
Reserved citrus peel for garnish
Mix ingredients well and let sit for a 5-10 minutes, then add additional sugar to taste if needed. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill well for several hours. The flavors will intensify and round out. Serve in a punch bowl filled with 1 large ice block. Try to make sure at least one piece of citrus peel is in each cup as garnish.
Spice Syrup No. 9
By Jonathan M. Forester
1 dry measuring cup white cane sugar
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water
2 1/2 teaspoons (12 grams) Ceylon cinnamon
2 1/3 teaspoons (11 grams) Vietnamese cassia (cinnamon)
3/4 teaspoon (4 grams) allspice
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) cloves
3/4 teaspoon (4 grams) nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) green cardamom seeds (not pods/shells)
1 whole, small, star anise pod
1/2 tablespoon (1/4 ounce) vanilla extract
1 to 3 teaspoons (4-14 grams total) additional spices or herbs of choice, including mace, ginger, pink peppercorns, Szechuan pepper, anise, poppy, sesame, cumin, lavender, chamomile, etc.
Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan with lid, and bring to a boil uncovered, watching carefully. Reduce to a simmer before the syrup boils over. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring 2-3 times briefly. Uncover and let cool to room temperature. Carefully filter through several layers of cheesecloth, or a clean cotton napkin or bandana, to remove the gritty spice solids. Squeeze solids in cloth by gathering the ends together and twisting to remove as much syrup as possible. Discard spice solids and put syrup in a sealed jar/bottle; or use immediately. Will keep refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Forester measures his spices by the gram with a digital scale accurate to .1 grams. My favorite small scale for home, my food/beverage lab, and bar use, is the Compact Jennings CJ-600 and sells for $35, plus $7 shipping.
Use premium quality whole spices and grind them fresh as needed (or fresh premium pre-ground.)
Oleo-Saccharum
By Jonathan M. Forester. Oleo-Saccharum is a sugar extraction of citrus oils, and part of a traditional punch. It is a flavoring, and the peels act as garnish in the punch. The Oleo-Saccharum can be covered or put in a sealable plastic bag and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days.
3 oranges
2 lemons
1/2 cup sugar
Remove citrus peels with a paring knife or vegetable peeler, leaving as much bitter white pith as possible. Cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch wide strips. Put 1/2 cup sugar and citrus zest in a small bowl, muddling the peels gently into the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for one to three hours, the longer the better.
