Punch Rhyme Time With Pink Rum Punch Recipe

Bring out your bowls and cups - punches are coming back! These mixed drinks are returning in a big way for good reason - they're fun, fast, and festive. I make punches following the ratio recipe of the traditional Barbadian national rhyme:

One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four of Weak.

Traditionally, the sour was lime juice, sweet was sugar, honey, or molasses syrup, strong was rum, and weak was black tea. Perhaps punches originated this way because when made with the above ingredients, Barbados rum punch contains alcohol, caffeine, carbohydrates, and scurvy-preventative - everything a sailor needed to make it through a voyage.

Playing with Punch

The punch rhyme is a jumping off point for creative cocktail makers like ourselves. We make punches with all types of alcohol. They're a convenient way to use up vodka infusions. A few drops of bitters creates yet another layer of flavors and punches always taste better after aging overnight in the fridge.

Here are some ideas for the ingredients:

Sour - lemon, 100% cranberry, 100% cherry, or lime juice

Sweet - diluted honey, simple syrup, maple syrup

Strong - rum, bourbon, vodka, fruit or herb infusions

Weak - black tea, herbal tea, light fruit juices

Pink Punch Recipe

1 part 100% cranberry juice 2 parts simple syrup 2 1/2 parts white (unaged) rum 1/2 part sour cherry liqueur 4 parts raspberry hibiscus tea Angostura bitters, to taste

1. Mix all ingredients in a glass jar. Hint: A Ball quart or half-gallon jar has convenient measures on the sides for parts.

2. Shake well to combine and store in refrigerator overnight or up to five days.

3. Serve over ice, perhaps with a stainless steel straw.

Loggerhead and Flip {Cocktail Recipe}

There may be only a few chilly nights left this season, so I'm going to cut right to the chase: before winter ends, make a traditional flip.

This historic cocktail was the most popular drink in taverns in Colonial America yet seems to be lost even in the current mixed drink renaissance. It combines the original American spirit, rum, stout beer, whatever local sweetener available like molasses, sorghum syrup, or maple syrup, and firey heat.

To heat the drink, bartenders use a loggerhead. This wooden-handled, blunt metal tool sits in a fire until red hot and is then plunged into ingredients in a pitcher, creating a fizzy textured, warm, highly alcoholic beverage. After too many rum flips, patrons might argue and brandish the heat element against each other, hence the phrase 'at loggerheads'.

Alex learned of the flip while reading And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. We had to make it at home.

The project started by making a loggerhead from a piece of hardware-store rebar and a branch. Because we have no wood stove in the new house yet, we used a propane torch to heat our loggerhead. A wood-fire-heated element would probably contribute ashes to the drink, which would certainly uphold tradition if not modern standards of good taste. The foamy, sweet, dark drink warms us on these last snowy days of winter.

But what about the modern flip cocktail, you say? The one with egg whites? Historical records show price controls on taverns that made the rum flip cost the same price everywhere. To distinguish themselves, barkeeps began customizing their flip with additional spices, cream, or, as was the case at a popular place in Boston, eggs. Sometime since then, we lost the heat and yolk, leaving the modern egg white flip.

Despite signs that spring is coming, surely there will be a cool night ahead where you wish for a strong hot drink like the flip. It could even be adapted with Irish whiskey and stout for a warming St. Patrick's Day beverage.

Rum Flip makes one quart-sized pitcher to serve four

heat-tolerant quart-sized or larger pitcher 3 ounces rum (white is traditional but any rum is fine) 2 ounces molasses, sorghum syrup, or maple syrup one pint stout beer, warmed to room temperature (bottle conditioned, not nitro-carbonated) loggerhead (fireplace poker is a reasonable substitute, as clean as you wish) heat source (propane torch, campfire, wood-stove)

1. Mix rum and sweetener in pitcher, stirring well to dissolve. 2. Pour in beer and stir again gently. 3. Meanwhile, heat loggerhead until red-hot. 4. Plunge loggerhead into pitcher. Have a towel handy to mop up any overflow. 5. Pour into mugs and drink warm.

Homemade Bitters {Recipe}

Cocktail drinkers know that a Manhattan isn't a traditional Manhattan without Angostura bitters and one can't make a Sazerac without Peychod's. But home mixologists might not know how simple and fun it is to make bitters and home.

What are Bitters?

Bitters are strong herb and spice alcohol infusions including at least one bittering agent like cassia, wormwood, quinine, citrus peel, or gentian root. A drop of flavorful bitters is the strong guest that holds the door open for the remaining sweet and sour seats around the table.

Bitters were born of the ‘tonic’ movement, a period in the mid 1800s - mid 1900s where people claimed to cure all with drinks flavored with herbs and spices. They were commonly consumed neat or over ice as digestifs. A culture of secret recipes and labels listing the afflictions for which each bitters were recommended surrounded the compounding craze.

Now, bitters are most commonly used in cocktails. Bitters support a drink with complexity that is notably absent if the mixologist neglects to add a drop or two. Creating bitters at home is one way cocktail makers can customize a drink recipe.

How to Make Bitters

1. Mix spices into alcohol. 2. Allow to age for up to three weeks at room temperature, tasting along the way to determine when the flavors reach your taste's desired strength. 3. Strain out solids and reserve alcohol. Dilute with a slight bit of water if desired. 4. Bottle and store in a cool dark place.

Because one only uses a few drops of bitters at a time and some of the ingredients are expensive, it is best to make very small batches. Organic bitters spices are available locally in tiny quantities at Clintonville Community Market and online through sources like Mountain Rose Herbs and Frontier. I like to store mine in dark glass bottles with eye droppers, available at Amazon and Mountain Rose.

Bitters Recipes

I created and tweaked the recipes below to my taste. Participants in my recent Infusions and Bitters class at Franklin Park Conservatory enjoyed them and many left planning to make bitters as gifts this holiday season.

Cocoa Bitters 1 teaspoon cacao nibs ¼ teaspoon sarsaparilla ¼ teaspoon orange peel ¼ teaspoon wild cherry bark 1 allspice berry 1 inch length of cinnamon stick ½ cup rum

Turkey Day Bitters 2 inches fresh rosemary 2 inches fresh sage ¼ teaspoon pink peppercorn ¼ teaspoon gentain root ¼ teaspoon juniper berries 150 mL vodka

Rachel’s Bitters 3 allspice berries 1 star anise ¼ teaspoon each pink peppercorn, gentain root, wild cherry bark, lemon peel, sarsaparilla 150 mL vodka

Even our kitty Moonshine was interested in bitters as I was photographing! Try making bitters yourself and see what flavor magic you can create.

Local notes:

1) I run a monthly co-operative buying group for Frontier herbs, spices, bath and body supplies including bitters ingredients and bottles. If you live in Columbus and are interested, contact me.

2) I am hosting a Gifts In Jars event at City Folk's Farm Shop, 4760 N High St,  this Friday November 23. I will have everything you need to make and label a beautiful Weck jar of hot cocoa mix, bath foam, or culinary herb salts with custom flavors. Each jar costs $6, will take about 10 minutes to make and the mess stays out of your house. Drop in anytime between 11 am - 2 pm this Friday.

The Olympic Cocktail {Recipe}

I love the Olympic games, cocktails, and a good story, so I naturally fell for the tale of the classic cocktail, The Olympic. The forgotten stepsister of the popular Side Car, the Olympic originated in London in 1922, likely in recognition of Olympic ocean liner, not the athletic competition.

The first recipes were one part cognac to one part orange juice to one part curacao, likely a non-electric-blue color because Brilliant Blue FCF hadn't originated yet.

In celebration of the 2012 games in London, we began experimenting with the Olympic. Our version, heavier on the cognac than the original, is refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness.

We'll serve the Olympic tonight with a London-inspired meal of steak and mushroom pasties, shaved brussels sprouts salad, popovers, and roasted peaches. I can hardly wait!

The Olympic Makes 1 drink

fresh squeezed juice of half a navel orange 2 ounces VSOP cognac 1 ounce quality orange brandy liqueur like Grand Marnier 1 dash Peychoud's bitters strip of orange peel for garnish

1. Place ice and water in a cocktail glass. 2. Pour orange juice, cognac, orange brandy and bitters over ice in a cocktail shaker. 3. Shake and strain into glass. Garnish with a strip of orange peel.

Are you watching the Olympics? Who are you cheering for?

Peach Old Fashioned {Cocktail Recipe}

A gifted bottle of Michter's bourbon plus the first peaches of the season equalled a lovely cocktail a few weeks ago. Alas with the derecho and heat wave, I took to drinking the bourbon straight up for awhile. Now I'm back to share this cocktail recipe with you.

A traditional Old Fashioned includes a muddled orange slice. For the summer season, I substitute a peeled peach. How do you peel a peach? If the fruit is ripe, the peel should remove from the flesh with a gentle tug of your bare hands.

I like to make Old Fashioneds because they are simple to put together: line up the glasses, fill with fruit, muddle, add ice, top with bourbon. I like to drink Old Fashioneds because bourbon is my favorite spirit and the mix of liquor, fruit, and bitters is clean flavored and refreshing.

Do you enjoy an Old Fashioned?

Peach Old Fashioned

Makes: 1 serving

1/2 fresh peach, peel removed 1 maraschino cherries or 2 home-canned tiny sour cocktail cherries scant 1 teaspoon sugar 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 ounces good quality bourbon ice

1. Place peach, cherries, sugar, and bitters in the bottom of a low ball glass. (If you don't have a low ball glass collection, a half pint jam jar works well for this casual cocktail.) 2. Muddle gently with a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spatula. 3. Add ice to fill jar about two thirds full. 4. Pour bourbon over the ice. 5. Stir gently to combine and serve.

Rhubarb Shrub, a Drinking Vinegar {Recipe}

Shrubs, also called drinking vinegars, are the new 'thing' in the drink and DIY field. Shrubs are a way of preserving fruit by making them into a syrup with vinegar that was widely practiced by Colonial Americans. The LA Times wrote this week about using shrubs in cocktails. Studies show that raw vinegar may contribute to weight loss, lowered cholesterol and improved digestion. I discovered last year that apple cider vinegar is a cinch to make at home with a little loving neglect.

Where does this all lead? To my newest obsession: rhubarb shrub.

Before you say "I could never just drink vinegar!", as my sisters recently did,  hear me out. The flavor components of a shrub are acid from the vinegar, sweetness from sugar, and flavor from the fruit. What else relies on acid, sweetness, and fruit to quench thirst? Lemonade, the summer picnic staple. Commercial sodas are also sweet, acidic syrups diluted with fizzy water.

How To Make Shrubs At Home

Because I believe in preserving the potential benefits of the raw cider, I make shrub the 'cold' way. Most recipes call for a 1:1:1 ratio of fruit, sugar, and vinegar but I prefer less sugar. Since vinegar provides the preservative effect, there's no reason not to experiment with small batches and find your own perfect ratio.

My ideal rhubarb shrub is 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb with 1/3 cup white sugar soaked in 1/2 cup homemade apple cider vinegar. I leave it at room temperature for 2 days and then move it to the fridge. After the taste is full of rhubarb tartness in a few weeks, I strain out the fruit. Serious Eats outlines several other ways to make fruit shrub.

I drink my rhubarb shrub over ice with fizzy water from the Soda Stream. Surprisingly enough for a girl who likes to drink like myself, I have not delved into the world of mixing alcohol with shrubs but you know I will soon.

Are you a fan of drinking vinegars? Have you made a shrub? Tell all in the comments!

Rhubarb Shrub Time: 15 minutes active, 7-14 days aging Makes approximately 1 cup

1/2 cup fresh rhubarb, washed and chopped into one inch pieces 1/3 cup granulated white sugar 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1. Mix all ingredients in a clean glass jar. 2. Allow to sit at room temperature for 2 days. 3. Move the the fridge and allow to age for an additional 7-14 days until the shrub achieves the taste you want. 4. Strain out and discard the fruit. Keep the shrub in the fridge and enjoy diluted with water, club soda, or in a mixed drink.

Rhubarb Infused Vodka

It's rhubarb season in central Ohio! I like rhubarb in jam, strawberry rhubarb pie, and my grandmother's rhubarb crunch. But my favorite way to enjoy this slightly sweet, floral, first "fruit" of spring is in a vodka infusion. You might think I'm a lush but hear me out. Rhubarb is tongue-searingly sour and requires a lot of sugar or another strong flavor to temper the tart. Until I infused vodka with rhubarb, I had never truly appreciated the subtlty of the rhubarb flavor.

Making an infusion, with rhubarb or any other fruit, is dead simple. Chop or mascerate fruit in a clean glass container. Fill with vodka to cover all the fruit. Age in a dark place, tasting regularly, until the infusion matches your desired flavor. Strain out the fruit and enjoy the infusion as a mixer or on its own with fizzy water, a delightfully low-cal, high-zest drink.

In the case of rhubarb, I like to leave the infusion for up to two weeks. The clear vodka will turn a dusty red color and keep its piquancy for up to a year. The picture above shows the last of our 2011 rhubarb infusion, in one of my favorite jars made in Columbus Ohio, surrounded by the fresh rhubarb from the Greener Grocer that will make this year's batch.

I am reserving some rhubarb to make into a shrub, a sweetened vinegar infusion. I suspect that the shrub method will show off the many characteristics of rhubarb much like the vodka infusion I hold so dear.

Do you like rhubarb? How do you prepare it?

So Tired, So Simple - A New Pour-Over Coffee Ritual

This whole house-selling business is exhausting. I get up early to work on house projects and stay up late wondering how we will manage showings and what house we will buy. Like the addict I am, I'm making coffee a lot more regularly now. As recently as six months ago, I was grinding beans by hand and futzing with a French Press. To be honest, I couldn't tell that the finished product was much better than what my parents make with a drip machine but I liked the routine.

Jason from Thunderkiss Coffee introduced me to a better way: the pour-over method. The pour-over eliminates grounds in the mug, bulky appliances on the counter, and about 60 seconds from pour to sip.

The Way I Pour

I fill and start the electric hot water kettle. As that's warming, I pull out my mug, paper filter and $3 plastic filter cone. Someday I'll spring for a vintage ceramic cone and reusable gold filter but for now I'm hanging tight with the cheap ones.

I scoop a heaping tablespoon of ground coffee (that's right, I buy pre-ground coffee now because our hand-grinder was a mess and I realized I needed to upgrade to an expensive burr grinder or give in) into the filter. Typically by this time the water comes to a boil. I allow it to cool for just a second (Coffee Geek says coffee brews best at 192-204F) and fill the filter.

As the water drips down, I add more until my cup is filled. I usually unload or load the dishwasher in the 1-2 minutes I'm waiting for the coffee to finish.

Toss the grounds into the compost collector, rinse the cone, and I'm ready to face the day.

How do you brew?

  PS. I'm sorry that I didn't take a picture of the final product. I was, you know, tired.