|
theunderwaterbear posted:What do your serve the punch in? I imagine the only thing most people have that would be big enough for that volume would be some kind of bucket, maybe a soup pan... which obviously doesn't quite match the drink. I think a punch bowl would be most appropriate.
|
#
?
May 10, 2012 14:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 12:48 |
|
|
One giant piece of ice? How big should the bowl be?
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2012 15:23
|
|
|
Kenning posted:... A few more gentle stirs and in with the ice block! It sounds great and I'm going to try it, scaled down quite a bit. The problem I have with punch is that not everyone is always going to want punch; half the people still want a beer, a glass of wine, or their particular poison (g+t, more often than not). If I have 25 people over I probably only make a couple gallons and would still have some left over for breakfast.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2012 15:55
|
|
|
Very Strange Things posted:Why does the block of ice go in last? I have little tupperware bowls I make punchbowl-ice in. I think its just so you have room to mix and stir and muddle and all that. Or just mix it in something else then pour over the block in the bowl.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2012 16:03
|
|
|
I have a lot of extra vermouth because the stuff is cheap, and I'll probably get around to using it all eventually (my collection is small right now). How long does the stuff keep for? It's only 15%, so I'm assuming I can't just leave it on the counter once it's been opened?
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2012 21:44
|
|
|
The General posted:I have a lot of extra vermouth because the stuff is cheap, and I'll probably get around to using it all eventually (my collection is small right now). How long does the stuff keep for? It's only 15%, so I'm assuming I can't just leave it on the counter once it's been opened? Refrigerate that poo poo! A good way to get through surplus red vermouth (if you need to) is to drink it Spanish style -- on the rocks with a lemon wedge. Add soda water if you like. Excellent on a hot day. I think this would probably work well with other vermouth styles, too, but I'm not sure.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2012 22:17
|
|
|
theunderwaterbear posted:What do your serve the punch in? I imagine the only thing most people have that would be big enough for that volume would be some kind of bucket, maybe a soup pan... which obviously doesn't quite match the drink. It depends on the size of the punch. Right now I have 3 bowls I use for punch service, a 1 gallon clear Pyrex mixing bowl I use for small gatherings, a 7 qt. Anchor Hocking punch bowl I borrowed from a friend and haven't returned in months, and a 12 qt. stainless steel mixing bowl I picked up at a hardware store for those really big parties. If you don't want to invest in a nice glass bowl (which I can understand, if you're not a regular punch maker) stainless steel mixing bowls are a great choice, since they're cheap, reasonably attractive when new, and easy to find. If you decide that this is a thing you wanna do a lot, the Anchor Hocking bowl is available at Target for like $25 and is a great bowl for mid-size gatherings (8-15 people). Booties posted:One giant piece of ice? How big should the bowl be? Fill a stainless steel mixing bowl with water and freeze it overnight to make an ice block. To remove it, turn it upside-down and run water over the bowl for a couple seconds and it will pop right out. The punch bowl should be about 25% larger than the punch you're serving in it, to fit the ice. For Frank Forester's you'll want a 3 gallon bowl and a 2 or 3 quart ice block. Very Strange Things posted:Why does the block of ice go in last? I have little tupperware bowls I make punchbowl-ice in. The practical reason for putting the ice in last is that it's hard to stir everything together with a big chunk of ice in the bowl, and if the sugar hasn't dissolved before you put the ice in it's never gonna dissolve. The real reason you put it in last is that the ice block is the most important ingredient in a bowl of punch. This sounds ridiculous, but bear with me. When I made Frank Forester's for my friend's birthday party, nobody was paying much attention as I poured in $100 of cognac and Gran Marnier, and even the half case of champagne just aroused a muted "Wow that's a lot." But when I brought over this big ice block and slipped it into the bowl everybody started chattering excitedly about wow where did you get that ice man this is like a real bowl of punch is it hard to make that man that's cool. The ice block is a signal that something special is going on, that this is no lovely jungle juice, this is a real party. The ceremony of punch is at least as important as the ingredients. That's why you never omit the ice block. It's why you use small, clear plastic cups rather than those wretched red solo cups (clear plastic is attractive, and you want a small cup for two reasons: first, so that the cup of punch will stay cold as people drink it – a warm glass of punch is gross and will make people think they don't want more, when they definitely do; second, small cups force people to repeatedly return to the bowl to refill themselves, making it the focus of the party and a locus of socializing). That's why the first round of punch is passed out to everyone and cheered with a toast. And it's why, at the end of the night, I always toss out the ice block and drink the last quaff directly from the bowl. As for people who don't drink punch, well, the main way I've gotten around that problem is by not offering other drinks at my parties hahah. But seriously, punch has a bad name, and lots of people will steer clear because they assume it'll either be a gross, sticky-sweet thing that barely contains alcohol, or it's some Everclear-powered hellbroth that will make them wish they were never born. Letting people see what you're pouring is a good way to assuage some of those doubts, and persistence is another. Lots of people who initially hang back will notice all the punch drinkers gathered around the bowl, and will often approach and give it a shot. Pretty soon the party is made, at least in my experience. Listen, this is a lot of words on the internet, but good drinking in general, and punch in particular, has been a passion of mine for a few years. I am only very slightly exaggerating when I say that Wondrich's Punch! changed my life. There's a lot of proselytizing you've gotta do when you're trying to get people to drink well, cause people don't drink well, usually. But if you talk it up, and show them a serious cocktail (or a serious bowl) a few times, pretty soon they learn to RSVP immediately when you mention you're having a punch party, even if everywhere else they drink they stick with beer or a G&T.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 00:21
|
|
|
Mr. Glass posted:I think a punch bowl would be most appropriate. Yeah, no poo poo. Most people don't own a punch bowl of 10+ litres. I was wondering if Kenning had a huge fancy cut glass bowl he was going to show us.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 01:06
|
|
|
Kenning posted:Stuff This is really cool, and now I want to make some classy punch for my next party.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 01:21
|
|
|
DasNeonLicht posted:Refrigerate that poo poo! A good way to get through surplus red vermouth (if you need to) is to drink it Spanish style -- on the rocks with a lemon wedge. Add soda water if you like. Excellent on a hot day. One of my favorite summertime drinks is Dolin Blanc with an orange slice.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 01:54
|
|
|
theunderwaterbear posted:Yeah, no poo poo. Most people don't own a punch bowl of 10+ litres. I was wondering if Kenning had a huge fancy cut glass bowl he was going to show us. There are always pretty decent and huge punch bowls at thrift stores I go to. Now I know why they get so big.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 02:53
|
|
|
Jahoodie posted:There are always pretty decent and huge punch bowls at thrift stores I go to. Now I know why they get so big. I think a lot more people used to have punch bowls than now, maybe those are what you're finding in thrift stores. I seem to recall a lot of people having them in the 70s (I was just a kid). Changes in entertaining habits, more DIY and fewer bottles and cans served then. I have to admit my first reaction to an unknown punch would probably be "what sort of Hawaiian Punch mix is this" but if I found out it had cognac and Grand Marnier and an iceberg in it that attitude would change PDQ.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 03:16
|
|
|
Punch is, after all, the world's first cocktail. I think it's from the 17th century or something. edit: if your definition of "cocktail" requires distillation, anyway zmcnulty fucked around with this message at 03:25 on May 11, 2012 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 03:20
|
|
|
Yeah dude it was the first mixed drink, and it remains one of the most thrilling.NightConqueror posted:This is really cool, and now I want to make some classy punch for my next party. Yesssssss this is why I typed so many words. I highly recommend buying Punch! It's a fun romp of a read, has a lot of great anecdotes about each punch, as well as a bit of a history of distillation and punch through the ages. And for $16 bucks you can't really go wrong. Your guests won't be disappointed. theunderwaterbear posted:Yeah, no poo poo. Most people don't own a punch bowl of 10+ litres. I was wondering if Kenning had a huge fancy cut glass bowl he was going to show us. God I wish. I've been looking, and when I have a bit of money laying around I plan on going on E-Bay and getting something really done-up. I also want a good set of punch glasses and a nice ladle. There's another thing that improves the ceremony of the thing. Base Emitter posted:I think a lot more people used to have punch bowls than now, maybe those are what you're finding in thrift stores. I seem to recall a lot of people having them in the 70s (I was just a kid). Changes in entertaining habits, more DIY and fewer bottles and cans served then. This is what I'm talking about. If you can get people to have their first taste you can hook 'em. People are gonna ask what's in the punch, and if you can tell them "1 quart of pale old VSOP Cognac, 1 quart rich Jamaican rum, 1 quart finest ruby port, 1 quart strong black tea, the juice and peels of 16 lemons, 3 cups sugar, a half pint Gran Marnier, 4 liters of seltzer, and a fresh grating of nutmeg" (that's the recipe for USS Richmond Punch, which is what I served at my own birthday party) then they usually start to pay attention.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 03:54
|
|
|
Kenning posted:
What the gently caress, man? I just wanted to know why the ice went in last, not your whole goddamn life story! (Actually, your wonderful post might change my life a bit and I might just buy that book now.)
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 03:54
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 04:16
|
|
|
Kenning posted:Yeah uh, I don't much like big drinking parties, have barely ever had punch, and am not a heavy drinker at all, and you still made me almost want to make some punch. What the gently caress, man, indeed.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 04:34
|
|
|
Do any of you have experience using alternative acids in cocktails? I am considering ordering some acid phosphate and lactart. I'm guessing that for some cocktails, especially those where the citrus element is primarily for sharpness as opposed to citrus flavor in particular, preparing different isomorphisms with varying acids could be very interesting.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 04:36
|
|
|
Made my first Ramos Gin Fizz today. Pretty friggin tasty.  Anyone ever try an eggnog variant of a fizz?
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 09:52
|
|
|
Kenning posted:It depends on the size of the punch. Right now I have 3 bowls I use for punch service, a 1 gallon clear Pyrex mixing bowl I use for small gatherings, a 7 qt. Anchor Hocking punch bowl I borrowed from a friend and haven't returned in months, and a 12 qt. stainless steel mixing bowl I picked up at a hardware store for those really big parties. If you don't want to invest in a nice glass bowl (which I can understand, if you're not a regular punch maker) stainless steel mixing bowls are a great choice, since they're cheap, reasonably attractive when new, and easy to find. God drat, I want this right now. About how much does it cost to make up a bowl of this stuff?
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 21:46
|
|
|
It depends on the recipe you use and the brands you buy. I never skimp on punch, but over all I find that about 80% of the punch I make comes out to within 15 cents of $2/drink (where 1 standard drink = 0.6 oz. of ethanol). At my prices Frank Forester's Punch is about $175, and the yield is about 80 drinks. USS Richmond Punch is more like $200, with a yield of 65 drinks or so ($3/drink), but that's just because you have to buy 2 bottles of each spirit to make a quart – if you scaled it to one bottle each it would be 50 drinks for about $100, which is more cost efficient. Boston Club is a little curious, because it calls for just an ounce or so of 4 different spirits, and if you don't have any of those it'll be expensive to buy it all at once. Let's assume that as a good cocktail person you have Gran Marnier and Cognac sitting around. If you only need to buy the kirsch and the rum then a triple batch of Boston Club punch is $120, for 30 drinks, which is pretty expensive. However, if you have all the liquors and you just need the champagne, wine, and fruit, the cost drops down to $60, which again is right in that $2/drink mark. My personal favorite punch, Admiral Russel's, gets you almost 40 drinks for $65, which is like $1.60/drink. And that is a tremendous punch. United Service Punch will cost $45-$50 and yield 23 drinks. The punch I've made the most frequently is Limmer's Club, because it's light, pleasant, and cheap as all hell. 40 drinks for 30 bucks. For a while I was sick to death of it, and couldn't bear to drink it anymore, but I've since come to an accord with it, since it's so popular and cheap. The thing that really makes this punch is leaving the peels to sit on the sugar for hours and hours. 5+ hours makes for a much, much better punch than 1 hour or so. My own Irish whiskey and barleywine punch is like $25-$30 and gets you 18 drinks. I feel like that provides a very good spread of costs and flavor profiles, and I hope it encourages someone to go out there and make a bowl this weekend and report back! Hell, I'll prolly make one just to celebrate the fact that I've gotten people excited about punch over the internet. Kenning fucked around with this message at 05:21 on May 15, 2012 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2012 23:53
|
|
|
Oh god the gala and now I'm in a five bar in bk in a tux. poo poo.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2012 08:05
|
|
|
Can someone please give me some recommendations on what good brands are for light and dark rum? Also, good brands/recommendations on Absinthe, rye whiskey, and dry/sweet vermouth?
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2012 06:36
|
|
|
Huge_Midget posted:Can someone please give me some recommendations on what good brands are for light and dark rum? Also, good brands/recommendations on Absinthe, rye whiskey, and dry/sweet vermouth? Wray and Nephew Light Rum Trader Vic's dark (this one is like $9, so even if not that great, just consume in large quantities and stop caring) St George Absinthe Verte I like Dolin and Vya for dry vermouth, Carpano Antica and Punt e Mes aren't just vermouth due to the bitterness but I like them there anyway. For something more straightforward, Cinzano makes a very good and very cheap sweet vermouth (I'd steer clear of the dry)
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2012 08:06
|
|
|
Huge_Midget posted:dark rum?
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2012 08:13
|
|
|
Halloween Jack posted:Gosling's. Black. Seal. Seconding, if only for the perfect Dark n Stormies.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2012 13:55
|
|
|
I love Pusser's Rum for cocktails. Unspiced but still has great vanilla and fruity pineapple notes, and is made on the same stills that were used to make old British naval rum. It's a great team player in spirit-strong cocktails.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2012 17:01
|
|
|
Huge_Midget posted:Can someone please give me some recommendations on what good brands are for light and dark rum? Also, good brands/recommendations on Absinthe, rye whiskey, and dry/sweet vermouth? For a classic Cuban or Puerto Rico-style light rum (which is what the recipes are probably calling for) I'd use Flor de Cana Extra Dry. Wray and Nephew is great, but a totally different beast. "Dark rum" in cocktails usually means Jamaican, so I'd go Appleton Estate Extra, or Smith and Cross if you wanna go nuts. I've never cared for Gosling's. St. George is good absinthe, but their retarded cork closure means that you're gonna want to have a spare cork on hands to replace it with. For rye you can't beat Rittenhouse Bonded, if you can find it. Same for Sazerac 6 year. Easier to find is Bulleit Rye, which is also decent. Seconding Vya and Dolin, and I have to say that Dolin Rouge makes a luscious Manhattan. For cheaper and still good, Noilly-Prat dry and Cinzano sweet.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2012 22:40
|
|
|
What's the standard bitters? Angostura? Is that a brand or style? I want to try to recreate/improve on the Mojitos I had in Cuba and I know bitters is the component I don't know.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 00:46
|
|
|
Yeah Angostura for Mojitos. If you own 1 bottle of bitters, it should be Angostura. Second bottle, you will probably hear an argument between Peychaud's and orange.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 01:28
|
|
|
Made further confusing by the fact that Angostura themselves make orange bitters now.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 02:13
|
|
|
Jyrraeth posted:What's the standard bitters? Angostura? Is that a brand or style? Bitters in a standard mojito? Huh? Not in any traditional recipe I've ever seen. Since a few years back, there's been a drink making its way around trendy cocktail bars called the Queen's Park Swizzle, which is an old Trinidadian drink that just amounts to a mojito on crushed ice with Angostura added or layered on top. But bitters in a mojito isn't standard.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 08:10
|
|
|
I would definitely go with Peychaud's after Angostura. I know I reach for my Peychaud's a lot more than I do my orange bitters, but that's probably my own fault. I do love orange bitters though – Regan's #6 is really fantastic. fakedit: Also bitters in a mojito is weird and sort of counter to the spirit of the drink, which is intensely light and refreshing. I feel like Angostura bitters, with their heavy somewhat Christmas-y spices, would weigh it down.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 10:38
|
|
|
Kenning posted:It depends on the recipe you use and the brands you buy. I never skimp on punch, but over all I find that about 80% if the punch I make comes out to within 15 cents of $2/drink (where 1 standard drink = 0.6 oz. of ethanol). Thanks for running the numbers. I think the plan is going to be to start with the Limmer's Club punch, since its cheap, and if no one likes it/chips in for it then I'm not out that much. And when they try it and love it, they can pay upfront for me to make the fancy stuff.  So expect to hear a punch trip report after next weekend. Assuming I can find Orange blossom water anywhere. Is that something that a higher end "organic" grocery store would have?
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 20:24
|
|
|
Demon_Corsair posted:Thanks for running the numbers. I think the plan is going to be to start with the Limmer's Club punch, since its cheap, and if no one likes it/chips in for it then I'm not out that much. International markets and middle eastern stores, nicer liquor stores, too.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 20:29
|
|
|
Demon_Corsair posted:Thanks for running the numbers. I think the plan is going to be to start with the Limmer's Club punch, since its cheap, and if no one likes it/chips in for it then I'm not out that much. Failing that, I looked this up a few months ago when that recipe was posted. People seem to have had pretty good luck making a substitute by infusing sweet wine with orange peels. I just said gently caress it and dumped some triple sec and a dash of blood orange bitters in there. It was good, but I have no idea how close it was.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 21:11
|
|
|
Tom Rakewell posted:Bitters in a standard mojito? Huh? Not in any traditional recipe I've ever seen. Kenning posted:I would definitely go with Peychaud's after Angostura. I know I reach for my Peychaud's a lot more than I do my orange bitters, but that's probably my own fault. I do love orange bitters though – Regan's #6 is really fantastic. To be honest, I never tried to ask the Cuban bartenders what they were putting in the drink. I guessed that it was bitters because it was a dark, small bottle and the only put two dashes into each drink. Maybe I should've phrased my question more like "how do I make this mojito like drink". I don't really like the regular mojito because its a little bit too light for my tastes.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2012 22:49
|
|
|
It was probably Angostura. And no worries – I wouldn't put Angostura in a mojito, but there are all sorts of tropical drinks where I would not hesitate to throw in a few hefty dashes of the old bitters.Demon_Corsair posted:Thanks for running the numbers. I think the plan is going to be to start with the Limmer's Club punch, since its cheap, and if no one likes it/chips in for it then I'm not out that much. Awesome, I hope you enjoy it! Remember to leave the peels on the sugar for hours and hours. In terms of soda water, Jarritos Mineragua is one of the strongest soda waters on the market. I don't know if you have a Mexican grocer nearby though. Failing that anything will work, really, but stay away from fancy glass-bottle mineral waters like Perrier or whatever, since those are only lightly carbonated and you want serious sparkle. Like Gravity said, orange blossom water can be found at Middle Eastern/Indian grocers, as well as high-end supermarkets in their "Ethnic foods" sections. You might also try aromatherapy/herb shops, if you have those, because who knows? You can also order it online. It's cheap and unless you start making lots of Middle Eastern and South Asian desserts a bottle will last forever, though the flavor can go flat after a while. Very Strange Things posted:Failing that, I looked this up a few months ago when that recipe was posted. I think it's worth seeking out the real stuff, since the floral quality of the blossom water is really what makes this punch special. That said, it wouldn't be a big deal to sub whatever liqueur you want in for the orange blossom syrup, as long as it's light. Using maraschino makes Garrick's Club punch. Chartreuse, triple sec, creme de violette, apricot brandy etc. would all work fine, probably, although you'd probably want to add a little bit more sugar since the syrup is more sweet than the liqueurs. It should be to taste anyway. I wouldn't use, say, Drambuie, but you have a lot of room to improvise with a punch this flexible. I do recommend finding some orange blossom water though. It smells so good. Kenning fucked around with this message at 05:34 on May 15, 2012 |
|
#
?
May 15, 2012 05:30
|
|
|
Kenning posted:
Does the peels and sugar need to be refrigerated? It's probably going to get to sit for 5-6 hours. Will the regular cans of club soda work? I can check the little Mexican grocery around here, but I don't have high hopes for it.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2012 17:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 12:48 |
|
|
Nah, don't refrigerate it. And make sure to trim the pith on your peels if there's a lot of it, so it doesn't make the punch bitter. Regular old soda water will be fine, I just really like Jarritos for this application. I've made it with both.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2012 23:10
|
|