Philadelphia Fish House Punch with Peach Brandy & a Fruited Ice Ring

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A 1730s Philadelphia club punch, scaled for a modern living room: dark Jamaican rum, cognac and peach brandy softened by strong black tea and a lemon-peel sugar that pulls the oils out of the fruit before a drop of juice goes in. Everything is built the day before, so the only thing you do at the party is unmold a fruit-studded ice ring and grate nutmeg over the top. Deceptively smooth, genuinely strong, and it holds its balance for hours because a single big block of ice melts slowly instead of watering the bowl down.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, thinly sliced into wheels
• 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
• 12 mint sprigs
• 6 cups filtered water, plus more as needed

• 8 large lemons
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups boiling water
• 4 black tea bags (English breakfast or Ceylon)

• 1 750 ml bottle dark Jamaican rum (such as an aged blend, not spiced)
• 1 1/2 cups VS or VSOP cognac
• 3/4 cup peach brandy or peach liqueur

• 1 whole nutmeg, for grating
• 1 lemon, sliced into thin wheels
• 1 cup chilled still or sparkling water, to adjust strength

Instructions

1. Make the ice ring at least 8 hours ahead (a day is better). Scatter the lemon wheels, raspberries and mint sprigs in a 10- to 12-cup bundt or tube pan, or a round cake pan that fits inside your punch bowl. Pour in filtered water to within 3/4 inch of the rim and freeze until rock solid, 8 to 12 hours. If you want a clearer ring, use water that has been boiled and cooled.
2. Make the lemon sugar 12 to 24 hours before the party. Peel the 8 lemons with a vegetable peeler in wide strips, taking only the yellow zest and as little white pith as possible. Drop the peels into a large bowl or 2-quart jar, add the sugar, and muddle and press firmly with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes until every strip is coated and glossy. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight; the sugar will draw out the oils and go syrupy and fragrant.
3. Juice the peeled lemons — you need 1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice. Strain out the seeds and refrigerate.
4. Brew a strong tea: pour the 4 cups boiling water over the 4 tea bags and steep exactly 5 minutes, then remove the bags without squeezing (squeezing adds tannic bitterness). Pour the hot tea directly over the lemon sugar and stir 1 to 2 minutes until every grain of sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
5. Strain the tea-sugar base through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher or 4-quart container, pressing the peels lightly to release the last of the syrup, then discard the peels. Stir in the lemon juice, rum, cognac and peach brandy. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 3 days — the punch actively improves overnight as the spirits marry.
6. Thirty minutes before serving, unmold the ice ring: dip the pan in a sink of warm water for 20 to 30 seconds, then invert onto a plate. Set the ring fruit-side up in an empty punch bowl.
7. Pour the chilled punch over the ice ring. Taste: it should be bracing but round. If it drinks too hot, stir in chilled still or sparkling water 1/4 cup at a time until it tastes right — traditionally this punch is served just shy of dangerous.
8. Float the fresh lemon wheels on top and grate a generous veil of nutmeg over the surface. Ladle into 4-ounce punch cups or small glasses and grate a little more nutmeg over each. Re-grate nutmeg and top the bowl with more punch as the level drops; the ice ring should last 3 to 4 hours.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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