All mankind love a punch lover. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Until I started this blog I thought I knew a lot about punch, or maybe more accurately, I thought there wasn’t much to know about punch, so even knowing a little about punch was a lot – boy was I wrong.  There is a history to punch and a complexity I knew nothing about.  There is also a “science” to making a good punch that I am just beginning to delve into.

Probably my biggest misconception was the role of alcohol in punch.  I have never been much of a drinker so most of the punches I have made have been without alcohol.  Apparently I have been living in a kind of punch denial.  As I read books on punch (yes there are quite a few out there) it’s hard to find a recipe without alcohol.  The famous punches through history all have alcohol – what am I to do?

Well if I really want to understand punch I need to be true to the roots.  When I am well versed in the punch basics I can try and create my own punch recipes.  It’s kind of like roasting chicken – if you can’t do it the French way, you really don’t know how to roast a chicken.  After many a trussed, buttered and turned bird I now make whatever variations I want because I know the correct way to roast a chicken.

So I will make the punch true to the recipe and then once I get the basics of a really good punch I will try and make both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.

I chose today’s punch with my menu in mind, for all of my speaking of historic punches; this is a modern concoction – A Bit of Tropical Heaven on Earth

·         5 cups pineapple juice

·         1 cup tequila (I used silver agave)

·         2 cups orange juice

·         ¾ c strawberry lime juice (I used frozen Welch’s reconstituted)

·         ½ c grenadine

·         ½ c lime juice

·         6 cups ice cubes

Combine the liquids together in a punch bowl and mix well.  Add ice cubes, serve immediately and enjoy.

I am serving my “quasi” famous BBQ chicken salad which has some ingredients – jicama, black beans, and cilantro – that tequila and citrus will go well with.

Andy has already had a cup before he goes off to teach at a training – his reaction was “m-m-m good”.  I gathered my tasting team for tonight (Nick, his wife Meghan, and Sam).  We all liked it, Nick said it reminded him of fruit cocktail, which he assured me was a compliment.  It seemed a little too concentrated, so Meg added some sparkling water, which we all agreed made it much better. 

I liked it although I think the next time I have a Latin “infused” dinner I want to try a Margarita Punch, I think that might be more to my liking than this one.

It has been a difficult few weeks for many close friends and neighbors.   The tragic loss of a daughter taken too soon from her family, the loss of a beloved husband, the near loss of a brother have been sad things to experience even from a distance.

Closer to home there are changes happening in an organization we have been a part of almost since its beginning.  Changes, necessary or unnecessary often bring the pain of loss amidst progress forward.

This evening, as I gathered with half of the source of my greatest joy (Greg, his wife Christina and Katie being the other half of my greatest joy were far from Kansas City) I was grateful for the communal fellowship of gathering round a bowl of punch…here’s to all my friends, may you have many opportunities to gather with those you love...cheers until next time.