Punch Base

Citrus season is in full swing, and there is no better way to appreciate the whole fruit - peels and all - than by making punch. I’m not talking about the stuff with the rainbow sherbet floating on top (not that there’s anything wrong with that), I’m talking about the recipes that fill the pages of the pre-Prohibition cocktail books sitting on the shelf at your favorite hipster cocktail bar. The base of these distinguished punches is almost always oleo saccharum, made by macerating citrus peels in sugar, which slowly draws the citrus oils from their peels as they sit together. The resulting syrup is thick and rich with the extracted oil, giving the punch a round, deep citrus flavor that can’t be attained with fresh juice alone. The only downside is that a true oleo saccharum can take hours or even overnight to fully extract the oils, and who wants to wait that long for a drink? By adding hot water into the mix, you can cut the total time down to an hour, and enjoy a delicious punch that would make Jerry Thomas proud.

Ingredients:

6 Meyer lemons (or other fresh citrus)

sugar (1.5 times the volume of juice)

water (1.5 times the volume of juice)

1. Peel the lemons, and reserve the peels in a medium mixing bowl.

2. Juice the peeled lemons, and strain the juice to remove the pulp and any stray seeds. Measure the resulting juice. This will determine how much sugar and water you will use.

3. Calculate the amount of sugar and add it to your citrus peels. Mix well with your hands, squeezing the peels as you mix until they are slightly shiny from oil. Make sure peels are covered in sugar, not sitting on top, and let sit for 20 minutes, mixing occasionally.

4. In the meantime, bring water to a boil. Once the 20 minutes are up, add the proportionate amount of hot water to the sugar and peels, and stir until all sugar is dissolved. At this point, remove the peels and let cool.

5. Once cooled, add juice and stir. Depending on the citrus you have used, it may be sweeter or more sour, just as each variety of citrus is different from another. As you get familiar with the characteristics of each type of fruit, you can change the base recipe to your preference. However, I prefer to adjust the flavor to fit by matching the flavor profile of the base fruit to your other ingredients. For example, if you make a base of sweet blood oranges, a punch of acidity from Champagne, sherry, or Maraschino liqueur will give your punch some pucker. On the other hand, if you’re using tart lemons, sweet rum, Aperol, or honey should do the trick. Add to a punch bowl full of ice, or keep in the fridge and pour some over over ice in a glass for an instant cocktail. A judicious dash of Bitters and/or soda and you’re ready to party!

Cheers,

Alex Dakers
Chef/Owner, Yabai Nikkei, LLC

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