Summertime Mexican Punch with Tequila

Jenn Garbee

Mexican Punch

Blame it on one too many glasses of eggnog, or on those overly sweet mixers and spice cabinet-laced liqueurs you find in the punch bowl when the weather outside is frightful. Whatever the reason, punch has ended up with a reputation as a winter party girl, hardly suitable for barbecue season.

But summer poolside parties and backyard cookouts can be ideal occasions to dust off the punch bowl -- if you stick to a few simple rules. Choose lighter spirits as your base, let ripe summer fruit to do all the flavor work, and don't overly sweeten your warm-weather potions. When your guests arrive, add a big block of ice to the punch bowl and you can hit the floating lounge chair.

Back when swimming parties didn't involve chlorinated water, punches were built around five ingredients (punch, from the Persian word panj and the Hindi panch, meaning five). They included a base spirit, sugar, lemon or limejuice, water and spices. Made this ages-old way, it's really more of a refreshing spiked summer lemonade.

You can make a quick and super easy version at home by dressing up good quality store-bought lemonade with your favorite vodka. Unflavored or basic citrus vodkas such as lemon and lime are good choices, but you can also find interesting specialty infused vodkas on the market these days that are made from real fruit. Meyer lemon and blood orange vodka from Charbay, as well as kaffir lime and Buddha's hand (a jasmine-scented citrus fruit) from Hangar One Vodka are all good party conversation starters. But beware of inexpensive flavored vodkas that tend to use off-putting imitation flavorings; when in doubt, unflavored vodka is a better choice.

Once you've settled on the vodka, add about two cups to the standard half-gallon (64 ounces) lemonade carton available in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. You'll have enough punch for twelve guests, or more likely six with refills. You can also add a few cups of sparkling water to taste for a bubbly version that's lighter on the alcohol. Float a few mint leaves, rosemary or lavender sprigs on top to make it party pretty, and don't forget to freeze a big block of ice (a small mixing bowl works well) for your punch bowl ahead of time. Small ice will melt quickly and water down your drink.

Summer is also a great time to play around with gin, light tequila or rum, but stay away from heavily spiced or long-aged versions that can feel too heavy in a warm-weather punch. Even pre-mixed summer standbys such as gin and tonic, margaritas or mai tais are fun for a party when you dress them up in a punch bowl. In general, you'll want to cut down on the sugar just a little when you turn most cocktails into punch (that sparkling water comes in handy here, too).

Champagne and prosecco may feel like a New Year's Eve bash but they're actually perfect for warmer weather with their flavor versatility and delicate bubbles. They work particularly well when you want to highlight peak-of-season summer fruit. All it takes to make peach bellini-esque punch is a bottle of bubbly and a quick puree of juicy peaches in the food processor. Remember to peel the peaches or you'll wind up with a thick layer of the pureed rosy peach skin floating on top of your punch bowl that requires constant stirring. The point of punch is to enjoy the party, not build up a sweat.

If you don't have peaches on hand, try blackberries or raspberries. Even frozen fruit works well in a pinch. You want about a cup of pureed fruit for each bottle of champagne or prosecco. Don't forget to taste the fruit puree before you pour it into the bowl. You may want to add as much as a quarter-cup of sugar if the fruit isn't very sweet -- although don't add too much or you'll wind up with more something more akin to Kool-Aid.

For those days when you want to really impress the neighbors, stir up Chicago mixologist Toby Maloney's Mexican Punch. His version is a citrusy blend of fresh limejuice and muddled limes, lemons and oranges topped with a light blanco tequila (as opposed to a full-bodied, aged anejo). Grenadine lends a gorgeous red hue and lemon-line soda lightens up the whole thing.

Serve your sunset-worthy concoction in a punch bowl with an ice bucket alongside it, or scatter a handful of punch-filled pitchers and ice buckets around your backyard. Leaving out the giant ice block keeps the punch from becoming watered down if you're lingering poolside for several hours on a particularly hot day.

But watch your back. This punch tends to make cannonball-sized splashes.

Mexican Punch

Adapted from Toby Maloney.

Serves 6 but can easily be doubled or tripled. To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and water (example: 1 cup of each) in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar melts. Chill before using.

Ingredients

Muddle the limes, lemon and orange slices in the bottom of a large pitcher or small punch bowl with the back of a large wooden spoon to crush them and release their oils. Add the tequila, simple syrup, limejuice, Grenadine and bitters. Top with the lemon-lime soda and stir gently. Leave the fruit in the pitcher or punch bowl or, for a prettier presentation, remove the muddled fruit and replace it with freshly sliced fruit. Just before serving, fill an ice bucket with ice and set out lime wedges for garnish so guests can serve themselves in an ice-filled rocks glass.

Jenn Garbee is a Los Angeles based food and culinary travel writer.

 

 

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Summertime Mexican Punch with Tequila

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