This really is the perfect punch for this time of year when Florida citrus floods the market. I actually first saw this recipe in an issue of Bon Appetit where it called for blood oranges. Those have not been easy to find this year so I just used pink grapefruit instead for that beautiful color and subbed in regular oranges. I also used bottled grapefruit juice and I'm glad I did. This was really good and not too sweet but any less sugar and it would have been too little. The grapefruit juice I keep on hand for cocktails contains sweetened juice so if you decide to juice fresh grapefruit you might have to add additional simple syrup. I also added some limes to the mix; just because. As much as I love lemon, I love limes more and I knew the addition of lime juice would only be something good. And it was.
I realized as I finished up with the photography for this cocktail that I hadn't even tasted it yet. It's not the first time either but after almost 5 years of doing a cocktail every week you do start to gain confidence from an ingredient list and just know what sounds great and I've been lucky...I've never had one fail me yet. Still; once I was done with photos I'll take a sip and if corrections need to be made I can do them then and revise the recipe accordingly. Tastes too boozy? I might add a bit of club soda to the recipe (and this would be a nice way to stretch this cocktail a bit if you need to). Needs a bit more sugar, an easy fix with simple syrup. So, I took a sip and remember hearing myself say, 'Yummy!' First impressions are the best sometimes!
When I have a success and especially when I have a whole pitcher of a success I'll call a neighbor to come sample the results to see if my take goes beyond me and is enjoyable for them too. Last night it was my buddy Amy and shortly after she showed her hubs Casey got home and joined us. Casey is not much of a drinker; as much as anything because his job as a District Wildlife Manager has him on call so often. But I'll tell you what; he is a great barometer because he's also a bit of a fussy eater and drinker. When Casey likes it? I know I've got a winner! He tried a sip of Amy's cocktail and asked for his own. What can I say...this one really is that good! Make a batch for your gang; having a punch to serve is such an easy way to serve cocktails at a party. As a matter of fact I suggest you double it; it's going to disappear.
Here's to the Broncos and the Panthers; no matter what else guys, I'm just hoping for a great game...Cheers!
Need some more ideas for game day? Take a peek at some of my favorite football party dishes after the recipe.
Spiced Rum Punch with Citrus and Luxardo Liqueur
- 1 cup dark rum
- 1 cup spiced rum
- 1 cup fresh grapefruit juice, strained
- ¾ cup fresh orange juice, strained
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, strained
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, strained
- ⅓ cup Luxardo maraschino liqueur
- ¼ cup simple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Peychaud's bitters
- 1 grapefruit, sliced into rounds
- 2 oranges, sliced into rounds
- 1 lime, sliced into rounds
- Fill a bowl or a small saucepan with water and citrus rounds and freeze (See Notes).
- Combine both rums, grapefruit juice, orange juice, lemon juice, liqueur, simple syrup, and bitters in a pitcher.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, covered.
- Un-mold ice (briefly dip bottom of container in warm water) and add to punch along with citrus slices in a large bowl. Serve punch in 6-oz. glasses filled with ice.
For fun I decided to put the slices of citrus into an ice block in lieu of having them float independently. To make it work and not have them float to the top of the water (which would mean when un-molded they would be on the bottom and not be visible), I froze a quarter inch of water in a medium saucepan then layered the citrus on the frozen water and then just barely covered them with more water and froze again. Once the citrus layer was frozen I filled the pan with another 2 inches of water and froze again. It worked beautifully; large pieces of ice melt much more slowly than ice cubes would have. Make sure you get your punch mixture cold before combing the punch and the ice and it will stay cold without having all of the ice quickly melt into the punch.