The Playboy Punch Bowl

Many Holidays ago it was the Custom at New York's then-posh Hotel Astor for bar stewards to walk down the line emptying every open bottle in sight, including wines, whiskeys and liqueurs into a mammoth punch bowl. The Astor's punchmakers always compounded a delectable mixture by following an old axiom of bartending: You may use anything from arrack to zinfandel, ad-libbing as you please, as long as you're loyal to the accepted balances between potent and mild, sweet and tart. Punch should be strong enough to lift, not (continued on page 201)(Continued from page 101)throw, you. Any punch made with a fruit liqueur or sweet fruit juice must be accented with something tart – freshly squeezed lemon or lime, for example – a rule that was noted even in Addison's day when he described, in The Spectator, a sign near Charing Cross showing two angels hovering over a punch bowl and squeezing the juice of Jemons into it.

Over the centuries, every conceivable vessel – from baptismal fonts to old skulls set in silver, from leather tankards to golden bowls – has been used for wassailry. While the punch that fills the bowl packs a wallop, the cheer that flows from it is always mellowing. Set up a bountifully brimming punch bowl in a one-room studio or a banquet hall, and even the most irascible bar bear is filled with convivial memories of six-foot logs glowing near fireside utensils, and groaning boards wreathed with holly. Certainly, nothing welds together old cliques and new comrades as permanently as amiable imbibing of the punch bowl's contents.

Punch-bowl preparation is a pre-party ritual. Several hours before the first guest arrives, you pour the potables into the bowl to let them marry. If it's a cold punch, a block of ice (cubes dissolve much too quickly) is added early enough to chill the punch, but close enough to party time to avoid overdilution. Should you add champagne or sparkling water, these go in at the last minute to keep their sprightly sparkle. As the "feast of reason and the flow of soul" mounts, drinkers return for their own refills, so the logistical problem of replenishing glasses never becomes pressing. If there's a large crowd milling about a small punch bowl, it's a simple matter to keep a reserve of the mixture in the refrigerator.

Each of the following libations, especially designed to fill any punch-bowl bill – hot, cold, traditional or adventure-some – will take care of approximately 24 six-ounce punch cups.

[recipe_title]Playboy Bourbon Punch[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 quart plus 10 ozs. 86-proof bourbon[/recipe]

[drinkRecipe]7 ozs. orgeat[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]7 ozs. Crème de cassis[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint plus 5 ozs. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart plus 1 pint sparkling water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]24 large fresh strawberries[/drinkRecipe]

In a punch bowl combine bourbon, orgeat, crème de cassis and lemon juice. Stir until syrups are well blended with other ingredients. Place block of ice in bowl. Just before serving add sparkling water. Float strawberries on punch.

[recipe_title]Playboy Wassail Bowl[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 fifths very dry sherry[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]20 whole allspice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]20 whole cloves[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]10 pieces stick cinnamon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 tablespoons prepared grated orange peel[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/2 cups sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 eggs[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 ozs. cognac[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]3 warm baked apples[/drinkRecipe]

If you own the normal-size mixing bowl attached to an electric mixer, you may have to make this formula in two batches to accommodate the quantities. Put sherry, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and orange peel in a saucepan or pot over a moderate flame. Simmer, don't boil, 10 minutes. Put eggs in mixing bowl. Mix at high speed until eggs are thick and lemon colored. Slowly add sugar, while continuing to mix. Pour sherry mixture slowly into eggs, stirring constantly. Add cognac. Pour punch into punch bowl previously rinsed in hot water. Cut apples into eighths. Add to bowl. Stir punch with ladle occasionally, as liquid bottom and foamy top tend to separate.

[recipe_title]B & B Punch[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]2 fifths brandy[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]6 ozs. benedictine[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint plus 8 ozs. lemon juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart plus 8 ozs. sparkling water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 thin slices lemon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 thin slices seedless orange[/drinkRecipe]

Combine brandy, benedictine, lemon juice and sugar in punch bowl. Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Place block of ice in bowl. Just before serving, add sparkling water. Float lemon and orange slices on punch.

[recipe_title]Venezuelan Rum Punch[/recipe_title]

This rich, spicy punch must be cooked the day before the party. As it chills in the refrigerator, it becomes somewhat thick, and is thinned to serving consistency just before ladling. Little black specks from the vanilla beans are proper in this drink. To make it biting cold, the filled punch bowl as well as punch cups should be stored in the refrigerator until serving time.

[drinkRecipe]1 fifth light rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. dark Jamaica rum[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]2 whole vanilla beans[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart plus 1 pint milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]8 egg yolks, well beaten[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1/4 cups sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup cornmeal[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 pieces stick cinnamon[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint milk[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint light cream[/drinkRecipe]

Cut vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1-in. pieces. Put the 1 quart plus 1 pint milk, egg yolks, sugar and cornmeal into top part of double boiler over simmering water. Add vanilla beans and stick cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from fire. Add both kinds of rum. Chill in refrigerator overnight. Add 1 pint milk and 1 pint cream. The drink may be served strained or unstrained.

[recipe_title]Pink Lime Punch[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart plus 1 pint vodka[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint cherry liqueur[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 pint lime juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup sugar[/drinkRecipe]

20-oz. jar red pitted brandied cherries 1 quart plus 8 ozs. carbonated water 24 thin slices lime

In punch bowl combine vodka, cherry liqueur, lime juice and sugar. Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Place block of ice in bowl. Add cherries together with their juice. Just before serving pour carbonated water into bowl. Float lime slices on top.

[recipe_title]Gin Curaçao Punch[/recipe_title]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart gin[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. curacao[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 tablespoon orange bitters[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]4 ozs. kirsch[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart plus 1 pint orange juice[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1/2 cup sugar[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1 quart sparkling water[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]12 thin slices seedless orange[/drinkRecipe]

[drinkRecipe]1-1b. pkg. frozen melon balls, thawed and drained[/drinkRecipe]

In punch bowl combine gin, curaçao, orange bitters, kirsch, orange juice and sugar. Stir well until sugar dissolves. Place block of ice in bowl. Add sparkling water just before serving. Float orange slices and melon balls on punch.

Once you've prepared the potation to make the "flowing cups run swiftly round," as Richard Lovelace wrote, all that remains is the enticing task of keeping pace with your guests in partaking of the pleasures of the punch bowl.