Big-Batch Tropical Fruit Punch with Citrus Oleo-Saccharum

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A proper punch-bowl punch — no alcohol, no powdered mix, no apology. The backbone is oleo-saccharum: citrus peels muddled in sugar until the oils weep out into a fragrant syrup, the 300-year-old trick that makes real punch taste layered instead of sweet. Pineapple, passion fruit and strong black tea give it body and tannin, fresh ginger gives it a bite, and a bundt-pan ice ring keeps it cold for two hours without watering it down. Freshly grated nutmeg over the top is the Caribbean finish.

Ingredients

• 6 cups filtered water
• 1 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen
• 1 orange, thinly sliced into rounds
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup raspberries or halved strawberries

• 4 large lemons
• 3 large oranges
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

• 3 cups boiling water
• 4 black tea bags (English breakfast or Ceylon)
• 1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice, well chilled
• 1 cup passion fruit juice or nectar, chilled
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juice, chilled (for color and tartness)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 cups chilled club soda or sparkling water
• 1 lime, thinly sliced
• 1 small handful fresh mint sprigs
• whole nutmeg, for grating

• 2 cups aged rum, added per-glass or to the bowl (see tips)

Instructions

1. A day ahead, make the ice ring: scatter the pineapple chunks, orange rounds, mint leaves and berries in a 10-cup bundt pan or metal ring mold. Pour in the filtered water until the fruit is just covered and floating, about 6 cups. Freeze flat and undisturbed at least 12 hours, until solid all the way through.
2. Make the oleo-saccharum: using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of the 4 lemons and 3 oranges in wide strips, taking as little white pith as possible. Reserve the peeled fruit. Put the strips in a medium bowl with the 1 1/4 cups sugar and press and muddle hard with the back of a wooden spoon or a muddler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar is damp and smells intensely of citrus oil.
3. Cover the bowl and leave at room temperature for at least 1 hour (up to 4). The sugar will dissolve into a thick, orange-scented syrup — that syrup is the whole point, so don't skip the rest.
4. Meanwhile, brew the tea: pour the 3 cups boiling water over the 4 tea bags and the sliced ginger in a heatproof pitcher or saucepan. Steep exactly 5 minutes — longer and it turns bitter and astringent in the punch — then lift out the tea bags. Leave the ginger in and let the tea cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then chill.
5. Juice the peeled lemons and oranges; you want about 3/4 cup lemon juice and 1 1/4 cups orange juice. Strain out the seeds.
6. Pour the citrus juice over the oleo-saccharum and stir for 1 minute to dissolve any remaining sugar crystals. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or 4-quart pitcher, pressing on the peels to get every drop, then discard the peels.
7. Strain the chilled ginger tea into the citrus mixture, discarding the ginger slices. Add the pineapple juice, passion fruit juice, cranberry juice and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir well and taste: it should be bracing and tart-forward, since the soda and melting ice will soften it. Adjust with a spoonful of sugar or a squeeze of lemon as needed. Chill at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
8. To serve, dip the bottom of the bundt pan in warm water for 20 seconds and turn the ice ring out into a large punch bowl (at least 5 quarts). Pour the chilled punch base over it, then add the club soda and stir just twice — gently, to keep the fizz.
9. Float the lime slices and mint sprigs on top. Grate a little fresh nutmeg over the surface of the bowl and over each glass as you ladle it out. Serve in small cups or ice-filled glasses.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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