Drinks

Regent’s Punch

  • Serves

    makes 3 Quarts

VANESSA REES

This tea-infused champagne punch makes an elegant centerpiece for any festive occasion.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup cubed pineapple
  • 2 lemons
  • 2 oranges
  • 1 seville orange (also called bitter or sour orange)
  • 2 green tea bags (or 2 tsp. green tea leaves)
  • 1 cup brandy, preferably VSOP cognac
  • 14 cup dark Jamaican rum
  • 14 cup arrack liquor, preferably Batavia-Arrack van Oosten, or cachaça
  • 2 (750-ml) bottles brut champagne, chilled
  • Freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

Step 1

In a 1-qt. saucepan, combine 1⁄2 cup sugar and 1⁄4 cup water. Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves; transfer to a bowl along with pineapple. Allow to macerate in refrigerator for at least 8 hours to make a pineapple syrup. Strain and reserve; discard solids.

Step 2

Using a peeler, peel lemons, oranges, and seville orange, taking off as little white pith as possible. Transfer peels to a heavy bowl; reserve fruit. Add remaining sugar; use a muddler or a wooden spoon to vigorously crush sugar and peels together until sugar turns faintly yellow and slushy (see Mastering Muddling).

Step 3

In a medium bowl, steep tea in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain tea over lemon and sugar mixture; stir until sugar dissolves. Juice reserved fruit into tea mixture. Strain through a sieve into another bowl; discard solids. Stir in pineapple syrup, brandy, rum, and arrack. Chill mixture. To serve, combine mixture and champagne in a punch bowl along with a large block of ice (see Holidays on Ice). Garnish with nutmeg.

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