Four Memorial Day Party Punches to Whip Up this Weekend

By Seattle Mag May 22, 2014

fremont

!–paging_filter–pThe long and awesome Memorial Day weekend is here, and it’s the ideal time to dust off the punch bowl (or bowls, if you’re really lucky) or a large pitcher and whip up an extra big batch of goodness for friends and family. Heck, you may want to make it a punch weekend, and try out different ones on different days. That’s what long weekends are for, I think./p
pstrongDay-Off Punch/strongbrThis of course is ideal for an extra day away from the job. Not only because of the name, but because it’s so darn refreshing – and because it has a fair amount of kick, too (hey, you have the day off, live a little). The recipe’s from a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Spirits-Concoctions-Starring-Bourbon/dp/B005I…” target=”_blank”emDark Spirits/em/a./p
pemServes 8brIce cubesbr16 ounces a href=”http://www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com/” target=”_blank”Woodinville Whiskey Company /aryebr8 ounces sweet vermouthbr8 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juicebr1 lemon, cut into slicesbrOne 2-liter bottle ginger alenbsp; /em/p
p1. Fill a punch bowl halfway full with ice cubes or a big block of ice. Add the rye, vermouth, lemon juice, and lemons. Stir once, without a care./p
p2. Add the ginger ale to the bowl, but don’t rush it (there’s no call for spilling). Stir a bit, then a bit more. Serve in punch glasses./p
pstrongLittle Sister/strongbrSince Memorial Day often lends itself to family celebrations (I certainly have spent most of mine with my family), it only makes sense to serve up a drink celebrating siblings. While this specifically calls out younger, female siblings, there’s no need to be restrictive with the punch glasses. This one’s also from emDark Spirits/em./p
pemServes 10brCracked icebr15 ounces brandybr10 ounces orange curaçaobr5 ounces freshly squeezed lemon juicebr5 ounces freshly squeezed orange juicebr5 ounces grenadinebr5 ounces a href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/cocktail-mixers-you-should-make-not-buy-and-ho…” target=”_blank”Simple Syrup/abrTwo 2-liter bottles chilled club soda/em/p
p1. Add the brandy, curaçao, juices, a href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/cocktail-mixers-you-should-make-not-buy-and-ho… ” target=”_blank”grenadine/a, and simple syrup to a punch bowl. Stir well./p
p2. Fill the bowl halfway full with cracked ice. Being sure not to spill any on the family albums, pour the club soda in slowly. Stir again and serve in punch glasses./p
pstrongThe Very Old Fashioned/strongbrThis is an oldie (well, short-term oldie) and a goodie from celebrated Seattle bartender and spirits expert of renown a href=”http://caskstrength.wordpress.com/ ” target=”_blank”Andrew Bohrer/a. He’s one of our local treasures because of recipes like this one, which takes a tiny bit of prep, but which delivers delicious results. It could be made in a punch bowl, but a pitcher might be safer depending on your punch bowl sturdiness./p
pem1 approximately 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (about 4 ounces)br12 ounces simple syrupbrTwo 750-milliliter bottles a href=”http://2barspirits.com/” target=”_blank”2bar Spirits /abourbonbr16 ounces freshly squeezed orange juicebr1/2 ounce Angostura bittersbrIce cubesnbsp; /em/p
p1. Combine the ginger and the simple syrup in a sturdy large pitcher. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, muddle these new friends (but don’t get wacky about it, just be firm)./p
p2. Add the bourbon, bitters, and orange juice. Stir well./p
p3. Fill as many punch cups (or highball glasses, or other glasses that make you grin) as there are guests three-quarters full with ice cubes. Pour this equally amongst the cups./p
pstrongFremont Fruit Bowl/strongbrThis recipe was adapted from the book emAdventures in Wine Cookery/em, published in 1965 by the Wine Advisory Board. I’m not sure it was created specifically for the Seattle neighborhood that shares the same name, but I emam/em sure that serving this in that neighborhood is a great idea (as well as in any a href=”http://local.seattlemag.com/article/seattle-neighborhoods-what-does-your…“neighboring neighborhoods/a, or other WA neighborhoods)/p
pemServes 10br3 fresh peaches, pitted and cut into wedgesbr3 fresh apricots, pitted and cut into wedgesbr3 cups fresh strawberries, stemmed and quarteredbrBlock of ice, or cracked icebr5 ounces apricot liqueurbr5 ounces maraschino liqueurbrOne 750-milliliter bottle Australian RieslingbrOne 750-milliliter bottle chilled Brut Champagne or sparkling white wine/em/p
p1. Add the peaches, apricots, and strawberries to a large punch bowl. Using a wooden spoon, stir them together, being just a little brisk, as you want them to be well mixed./p
p2. Add the apricot and maraschino liqueurs. Stir well with your wooden spoon./p
p3. Add a block of ice to the bowl, or, if using cracked ice, fill the bowl almost halfway with ice./p
p4. Add the Riesling and the Champagne, concurrently (this makes both feel an equal part of the festivities). Stir well, again. Serve in punch cups, white wine glasses, or sculpted goblets./p

 

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