A New Orleans-Style Punch to Serve This New Year’s Eve

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Is there something extra celebratory, festive, or charmingly retro than a bowl of punch? In his new ebook, Treatment: New Orleans Drinks and How you can Combine ‘Em, Neal Bodenheimer paperwork New Orleans’ most well-known cocktails, a lot of which he serves at his bar of the identical title—together with the St. Charles Punch. It’s one thing you may drink any time of 12 months, however the punch’s ruby-red hue and easy-going angle are notably well-suited for ringing within the New Yr.

The aptly-named drink acquired its begin as the home cocktail on the opulent St. Charles Lodge. “When its house owners first welcomed visitors to 201 St. Charles Avenue in 1837, their ambition was to function the best luxurious lodge within the nation, if not the world,” writes Bodenheimer of the unique establishment. The recipe for the lodge’s signature drink was first recorded a few many years later in 1862, when it was featured in Jerry Thomas’ How you can Combine Drinks: Or, A Bon-vivant’s Companion—a quantity broadly thought of to be the primary cocktail ebook within the nation.

Usually, St. Charles Punch consists of port, brandy, lemon juice, and easy syrup, however the model served at Treatment veers barely from custom. As an alternative of an ordinary easy syrup, Bodenheimer doubles down on the citrus taste with a lemon and orange oleo syrup. He additionally provides Angostrura bitters to provide the combination of ruby port, cognac, and citrus juice some spicy depth.

So, why does the St. Charles Punch make such vacation drink? “I believe that vacation drinks, notably in colder climates, must have some weight and texture,” argues Bodenheimer. “A pleasant aged brandy and textured ruby port can create one thing wealthy [and] luxurious, but in addition refreshing.”

Furthermore, it’s a drink that may be made otherwise relying in your preferences—and the variety of folks you’re anticipating. In line with Bodenheimer, “the punch could be constructed as a single cocktail or made in a basic punch model utilizing a conventional punch base of citrus peels and sugar,” that means hosts don’t essentially need to play bartender in the course of the night.

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He places it extra bluntly within the ebook. “There are such a lot of methods to make this drink, and actually, they’re all good,” Bodenheimer writes. “Hell, it’s a punch, so why not scale it up, add some dilution, and serve it party-style in a punch bowl over an enormous block of ice?” Sounds good to us.

It doesn’t matter what you select to serve, Bodenheimer has a number of phrases of knowledge for hosts this New Yr’s Eve: “Ensure that your home feels good and the lighting is correct,” he says. “Play festive music that will get folks transferring (a bit New Orleans oldies combine by no means disappoints),” and—most significantly—“be heat, gracious, [and] welcoming.”