This post Thanksgiving dinner punch came from the man with gravity defying hair that falls somewhere between the coiffures of Gary Cooper and Morrissey, Beefeater & Plymouth's Nick Van Tiel. "Dickens' Cider" is as luxurious and reviving as its punuendo name is pleasing ribald. NVT
brought his punch kit to Naren Young's place, tucked it into a corner and assembled the batch whilst the guests leaned back in their chairs and relaxed. It seemed like a fairly easy one to put together to the casual observer full of turkey and mushroom-free gravy (thank you, Naren & Kimiko, for remembering my non-magic shroom aversion.) But the ease of production on site belayed the rather considerable prep work Van Tiel had gone to beforehand; the homemade lemon & honey shrubb that Nick was packing along wtih nutmeg to grate, and cloves to pin into the center of lemon wheels betrayed the forethought and legwork off site.
Naren & Nick cutting and prepping lemon wheels in the same cutting board. One of bartenders' mutant powers is the ability to work in very small areas with other bartenders.
But the results were stellar, and worth it, and worth following closely if you need to make a guaranteed winner of a punch. Perfect balance of supple, inviting qualities contrasted with a little spicy, henry, nutty pushback.
NVT and his fantastic hair.
DICKENS' CIDER
32oz Homemade lemon & honey shrubb*
33oz Beefeater "Winter Edition" Dry Gin
4oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
4oz ginger juice from baby ginger root
20oz Fresh apple juice
10oz Fresh pear juice
5 Dashes Regan's
1/2 Bottle Perrier Jouet Champagne [750 ml [Edit. note: just in case you were thinking Magnum]. Add this last.
Serve in a 4 quart punch bowl/Chill with a large 2 pound ice block frozen with cranberries, cloves, cinnamon sticks and orange pieces frozen into it/Garnish with lemon wheels with cloves stuck into them, and a light grating of nutmeg
*SHRUBB RECIPE
12 Regular unwaxed lemons
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup honey
10oz Water
1 Pinch ground allspice
1 Pinch ground ginger
1 Pinch ground cinnamon
5 Cloves
1 Star anise
Make an oleo-saccharin from the peels of the 12 lemons (no pith), and the sugar. Leave for 30 minutes to extract oils/Mix the 8 oz of honey with 10 oz water and add oleo saccharin, mix well until sugar etc is dissolved. Juice the 12 lemons (approx 14 oz of juice) and add this also. Finally add the dry spices, and let sit for 1 hour/Fine strain the peels, pulp, spices and sugar out, which should leave 1 quart of shrubb.
Hosts Kimiko & Naren. Nice thing about using PJ in a punch is that there's bound to be some extra around for a glass or two.
That punch didn't stand a chance.
And in honor of NVT's "Keep Calm and Listen to Hip Hop" tee topped with an old school LL Cool J style Kangol icon, Cool James himself. Happy Holidays.
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