St. Charles Punch: an Amazing Punch Recipe for a Holiday Party
By: Maren Swanson • December 4th, 2014
I attended a New Orleans cocktail seminar a while back hosted by mixologist Brent Falco and The Museum of The American Cocktail. Falco concocted some serious cocktail winners that evening, but one of my favorite stand outs of the evening was her take on St. Charles Punch. The flavors of her St. Charles Punch were balanced, layered and sublime.
According to Falco, in 1836, St. Charles Punch was developed and introduced at the St. Charles Hotel and became a popular drink for hotel guests until it closed down in 1974. Even though we don't have to opportunity to stay and taste from the famous St. Charles Hotel, we do have the opportunity to carry on it's cocktail legacy with its renowned punch.
I have to mention, too, that Brent Falco is no newbie to the cocktail scene. She recently was chosen as a finalist to represent Los Angeles at the USBG Legacy West Coast Regional Final hosted by Bacardi. After running into Brent at a recent event, she kindly offered to share her amazing St. Charles Punch recipe with us! This craft cocktail punch recipe serves up to 30 people, so if you are planning on throwing a bigger seasonal shindig, then this St. Charles Punch recipe is the one for you. Cheers and Happy Holidays!
(Batching for 30 people)
Ingredients:
4 long orange peels
4 long lemon peels
20 barspoons of granulated white sugar
30 oz Cognac
45 oz Ruby Red Port or Tawny
45 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
7.5 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
15 oz of simple syrup (1:1- sugar:water)
soda or champagne
angostura bitters
orange & lemon Wheels, raspberries
Directions:
Muddle the granulated sugar into the orange & lemon peels until you get a think like syrup substance (you can do this the day before, will be richer in flavor, and let sit in a zip lock bag). Add the rest of the spirits, juices, liqueurs, syrups in a punch bowl. Add a big block of ice or equivalent in ice cubes to mixture; stir and let sit; top with soda or champagne 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with orange and lemon wheels and raspberries.
