May Drink of the Month - Garden Party Punch

On the occasion of Charlie's baptism (last Saturday, 5/13), it seemed right and proper to make a punch for our guests. We held an open house on Mother's Day, and the weather could not have been more perfect for an outdoor celebration. While my back yard is still in the process of transformation ("collection of green-ish weeds" suits it better than "garden"), a party on the lawn seemed like a fitting time to try "Garden Party Punch" from the great little book Punch Bowl by Dan Searing (link).

Finished product, ready to serve!

The key ingredient for this lovely burgundy-hued punch is Sauterne, a sweet white wine. Our favorite local winery, Lemon Creek, (which makes a to-die-for peach spumante), makes a great "Silver Beach Sauterne," which celebrates the old boardwalk amusement park in Saint Joseph, Michigan. This is tempered with Bordeaux, brandy, demerara sugar, a touch of green chartreuse, and lemon and orange juice. It tastes somewhere between cold mulled wine and sangria - really refreshing for a sunny spring day!

The recipe can be found below. Next month, I am going to offer another punch from Searing's book, the Fish House Punch. In the bar laboratory with Zack (who helped me select this month's drink), we came up with a scaled down recipe of the Fish House Punch that we really liked. However, with the recipe for the Garden Party Punch calling for whole 750 ml bottles of wine, I won't attempt any scaling here. Make the whole batch and serve it at your next spring or summer gathering! It was a hit for us!

Prepping the ice molds next
to Uncle David's turkeys.

Below you will find the recipe. Any good punch also needs an ice ring to help cool the punch and provide visual flair. I forgot to borrow my mother-in-law's bundt cake pan, so I made my ice ring using orange segments in a cylindrical cake pan. That works in a pinch, but using greased saran-wrap in a bundt mold is preferable, for the eye-pleasing ring shape it produces (and higher surface area it affords for cooling). Form your ice ring the night before (make sure to add water after you place the mold in the freezer - I had my oranges all artistically arranged, and had to re-do the whole thing when everything shifted on my way to the ice chest), and prepare the punch below about 30 minutes before serving to allow everything to marry well.

In a glass measuring bowl, combine 2 cups brandy with 1 2/3 cups demerara sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add juice of one orange (~6 tbsp), two lemons (also ~6 tbsp), and 3 tbsp green chartreuse. Stir to combine, and pour into large punch bowl. Top with 3 750 ml bottles of Sauterne (Tokaji or other white dessert wines will also work) and one 750 ml bottle of Bordeaux (or another full-bodied red). Stir and let sit for 10 minutes. Add ice mold, garnish with additional lemon or orange slices if desired.

We hope you enjoy your Garden Party Punch!