My good friend JC recently asked, “what’s a good Thanksgiving cocktail?” After much consideration, I think the answer is… a good old fashioned punch. People often think of punch as that fruity, sweet, pink drink served at an 8th grade dance. Or maybe they think back upon their college days and reminisce on some high voltage, grain alcohol infused monstrosity served up in the basement of their frat. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m referring to the classic cocktails of yesteryear, served in batch for festive occasions when friends and family gathered. Hugely popular in colonial times, punch typically consists of four main ingredients; one part sour (e.g. fruit juice), one part sweet (e.g. sugar), two parts spirit and three parts weak (e.g. tea).
Not as strong as a traditional cocktail, punch is perfect for a big day like Thanksgiving when you have lots of people around and you’re eating and drinking over the span of several hours. And besides, what better way to get the party started than putting out a punch bowl and inviting everyone to ladle themselves a drink? For this Thanksgiving, give the following a try.
I read about this punch in Garden & Gun magazine and it sounds delicious, particularly if you’re a whiskey drinker. It’s called Cadet Punch. Inspired by a hard drinking colonial militia unit out of Savannah that was famed for their punch, this version is a little simpler to make and not quite so strong. If you like an Old Fashioned cocktail, you’ll like this punch.
Ingredients:
Oleosaccharum (4 lemons and 1 cup of sugar; see below)
1 liter (750 ml) of rye whiskey
1 liter of cold water
12 shakes of Angostura bitters
Large block of ice
Preparation:
Peel the lemons, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Put the lemon peels and sugar in a bowl and muddle them together. Let the mixture rest (approximately an hour of so) until the oil from the lemons has melted the sugar. This is your Oleosaccharum. When ready to make your punch, stir the Oleosaccharum one more time and pour into your punch bowl. Add the rye whiskey and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add bitters. Pour in one liter of cold water. Add ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel. Enjoy!
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