Regent's Punch

By far the largest punch in the New York Bartender's Guide from 1997, the Regent's Punch serves 80! It is the reason I had to get a dedicated punch bowl. It still wasn't large enough to handle the full size of the punch, so I served it in a half size (see how full that punch was!) and re-filled the bowl when it ran out.

The need of such a massive punch  comes from those colonial balls and large parties of societal figures including monarchs. Take a look at the ingredients to see the kind of royalty this punch caters to: champagne, riesling, cognac, dark rum and triple sec. It truly was intended for regents or the ruling class.

Besides settling on Gruet blanc de blanc sparkling wine over more expensive champagne, I did not deviate from the recipe.  I used Broadbent rainwater Madiera, Appleton signature blend rum, Meukow cognac (Because it tastes more French than brandy) and Combier Liqueur d'Orange as an expensive and high quality triple sec. Chilling all ingredients first was a major help to pulling off this huge punch in time for the party, and having two bundt pan ice cakes ready was critical. Just after I served the punch with the ice and sparkling wine included, I found a large spring flower to set in the center of the ring of ice.

• 1 bottle riesling or dessert wine (Chateau st. Michelle riesling used)
• 2 bottles Madeira (Broadbent rainwater used)
• 1 bottle triple sec (Combier d'Orange used)
• 3 bottles champagne or sparkling wint (Gruet blanc des blanc used)
• 16 oz. dark rum (Appleton Estate special blend used)
• 1 bottle cognac (Meukow used)
• 16 oz. black tea
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 quarts sparkling water (2 bottles of San Pellegrino)
• 8 oz. lemon juicee
• 24 oz. orange juice

Combine all liquid ingredients except champagne and sparkling water in a large punch bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Refrigerate the bowl and liquid for at least an hour before serving. When serving, add a large cake of ice (I prefer a bundt pan rings) and top with sparkling water and champagne and stir.