Regent's Punch

For the last few years I’ve been tasked with bringing a big batched cocktail to holiday family gatherings. I’ve brought a few different things over the years, but the last two years I’ve settled on this modified Regent’s Punch as an ideal pre-dinner holiday dram.

Regent's Punch by

Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • lemon peels from 4 lemons
  • 2 cups green tea
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups lemon juice
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 cups Cognac, preferably Pierre Ferrand 1840
  • 1/2 cup maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo
  • 1/2 cup Jamaican rum, preferably Hamilton Gold Jamaican Rum
  • 3/4 cup Batavia arrack
  • 1/2 bottle Champagne

Directions

  1. Prepare an oleo saccharum by combining the sugar and lemon peels in the bottom of a large punch bowl (four quarts, minimum).
  2. Muddle the lemon peel and sugar gently from time to time over a period of 45 minutes while preparing the fresh juices and tea.
  3. Once steeped, use the hot green tea to melt the oleo saccharum.
  4. Add to the punch bowl all of the remaining ingredients, except the Champagne and store in the refrigerator until service.
  5. When ready to serve, add in ice and top with Champagne.

The recipe is very flexible and scales down well, and I usually make a half recipe. In addition, I make the following modifications:

  • I use fresh juice when I can. Six lemons and four oranges will cover the lemon and orange juice requirements. In addition, the lemon and orange peels go into the oleo saccharum. In a future year I will try making my own pineapple juice.
  • For additional holiday flavors, I steep some caffeine-free rooibos chai in addition to or instead of the green tea.
  • Cut the maraschino amount in half and replace it with allspice dram.
  • I try use Smith and Cross navy-strength Jamaican rum for its robust flavor and funkiness.
  • I go up a price bracket and use Pierre Ferrand Ambre instead of 1840. I find that the strong vanilla character of Ambre gives the punch a reasonable backbone.
  • I have no idea where to find Batavia arrack consistently, and have had good luck substituting it with a rhum agricole.