126 replies to this topic

[tanstaafl2]

Just picked up two bottles at Astor. Will report back (not that I really have any frame of reference).

Outside chance it will be available in Georgia soon! If not I guess I will have to hope Astor keeps some in stock for the next week or so until I know for sure.

[eas]

I'll chime in as importer for the Kronan Swedish Punsch. It has arrived and is in (or in transit to) New York, California, Massachusetts, Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Oregon, Washington, DC, and some others.

A few things to point out on the profile. You won't detect any citrus - the Swedes have a tradition of serving it with fresh citrus (if using citrus at all). So I'd suggest trying it with a squeeze of fresh lime, maybe with a cube or two of ice. The rums and Batavia Arrack are old-school and leathery, each a little different than what's on market today. And as with other Swedish-made Swedish Punsch, the spice element is restrained.

If comparing to other current or near current punsches made in Sweden, you'll likely Kronan more flavor intensive than the Carlshamm, Cederlunds, Facile, or the late Groenstadt Blu. Take note that this product improves with age, so consider if comparing with 5+ yr old bottles of Facile or Groenstadt.

The Doctor and Doctor Cocktail proportions on Cocktail DB worked well for me. Have not tried warmed with Pea Soup yet...

[tanstaafl2]

I'll chime in as importer for the Kronan Swedish Punsch. It has arrived and is in (or in transit to) New York, California, Massachusetts, Georgia, Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Oregon, Washington, DC, and some others.

A few things to point out on the profile. You won't detect any citrus - the Swedes have a tradition of serving it with fresh citrus (if using citrus at all). So I'd suggest trying it with a squeeze of fresh lime, maybe with a cube or two of ice. The rums and Batavia Arrack are old-school and leathery, each a little different than what's on market today. And as with other Swedish-made Swedish Punsch, the spice element is restrained.

If comparing to other current or near current punsches made in Sweden, you'll likely Kronan more flavor intensive than the Carlshamm, Cederlunds, Facile, or the late Groenstadt Blu. Take note that this product improves with age, so consider if comparing with 5+ yr old bottles of Facile or Groenstadt.

The Doctor and Doctor Cocktail proportions on Cocktail DB worked well for me. Have not tried warmed with Pea Soup yet...

Excellent! Thanks for the update. Delighted to hear you are including Georgia in the early roll out. I have already placed my order for at least 2 bottles as soon as its available.

[tanstaafl2]

The ship has docked in Atlanta. Which is a pretty good trick considering how far from the coast we are...

Picked up my Kronan this afternoon and will give it a go as suggested with a bit of fresh lime juice and some ice before any additional explorations are attempted. But a Doctor Cocktail paired with a little additional rum won't be too far behind! Perhaps another good opportunity for the Appleton Extra or the S&C.

Now I just have to hope that after 8 or 9 months of trying to acquire some Swedish Punsch I haven't raised my expectations to an unattainable level!

I may still pick up a bottle of punsch while in Europe next summer just for comparison. Carlshamns seems to be the brand I see advertised in London most often. Any other brands to be on the lookout for?

[tanstaafl2]

Kronan and friend.



Started things off with a little pour neat. Relatively low proof at 26% ABV so very easy to drink on its own. Plenty of rum taste to start and yet not so much as the Arrack lends a unique character to the drink. Long pleasant slightly oily finish that was quite pleasant!

Next I introduced a bit of fresh lime juice to our new guest in a 2:1 punsch/lime juice ratio shaken with ice and served up. Once again it did not disappoint although it took on a whole new character to me with the lime juice really shining through to make this almost a subtle "limeade" drink (not quite the right description but hard to describe!). Very pleasant although I don't think I would want to use more than a 2:1 ratio.

Tonight I hope to pair it up with a rum or two with the lime. I think it could also make a superb old fashioned of sorts when paired with rum, perhaps S&C for a little bite. Will probably also try the Appleton to see what if any differences I can find. Doesn't seem likely to need sugar so perhaps a dash or two of orange bitters and a lime twist over a big cube of ice would be perfect.

[mukki]

Ah, it's in stock at K&L. Will pick up a bottle on Friday.

[EvergreenDan]

Is the sugar content of Kronan consistent with traditional Swedish Punsch? I was hoping to enjoy it straight, but it's way too sweet for my (perhaps overly sensitive) unsweet tooth.

Does anyone have a good recipe yet for bumping the alcohol up and sugar down? I'm thinking some combination of Smith & Cross, another mild Jamaican rum like Appleton's, and a bump of Batavia Arrack.

[bostonapothecary]

Is the sugar content of Kronan consistent with traditional Swedish Punsch? I was hoping to enjoy it straight, but it's way too sweet for my (perhaps overly sensitive) unsweet tooth.

Does anyone have a good recipe yet for bumping the alcohol up and sugar down? I'm thinking some combination of Smith & Cross, another mild Jamaican rum like Appleton's, and a bump of Batavia Arrack.

if i come across a bottle, i can calculate the sugar and maybe come up with a conversion to other standards like lillet or sweet vermouth.

from a 1920 book on separation science...

"punsch (schwedischer) 1.1030 26.3% 332.0"

my brief look at the carlshamns flag punsch from a year and half ago: 1.082 gravity 26% alc. 293g/l sugar

[mkayahara]

I was under the impression (from reading Wondrich) that it's supposed to be too sweet on its own. That's why it's diluted with water to make punch, or treated as a liqueur for cocktail applications.

[tanstaafl2]

I was under the impression (from reading Wondrich) that it's supposed to be too sweet on its own. That's why it's diluted with water to make punch, or treated as a liqueur for cocktail applications.

It is quite sweet. Then again I like sweet. With a 2:1 ratio with lime juice it was a bit like a really funky limeade. I liked it but it might not be for everyone. I did try just a wee nip straight up and it was nice enough but not sure I would want to drink a lot of it that way.

I also liked it well enough to get a second and third bottle to put away for the future in case it proves hard to come by down the road!

I think tonight I will make a small portion Doctor Cocktail with S&C and one with Appleton Extra for a "taste off".

I am also curious to test Ted Haigh's assertion that it can make a lesser rum shine. I have a bottle of Brugal gold which is OK but nothing special so maybe I will add that to the taste test tonight and see!

Edited by tanstaafl2, 20 January 2012 - 04:32 PM.

[tanstaafl2]

I was also reading this article (where thirtyoneknots gets a mention!) about the master distiller who created it, Henrik Facile. He apparently has a couple of other formulations including one labeled under his own name. Not available here in the US of course but I might be able to track one down next summer in the UK for a comparison.

[EvergreenDan]

if i come across a bottle, i can calculate the sugar and maybe come up with a conversion to other standards like lillet or sweet vermouth

That would be cool. FWIW, I found it aplenty at Cambridge Wine & Spirits by Whole Foods Alewife, Cambridge, MA, should you be inclined to buy a bottle.

[thirtyoneknots]

I was also reading this article (where thirtyoneknots gets a mention!) about the master distiller who created it, Henrik Facile. He apparently has a couple of other formulations including one labeled under his own name. Not available here in the US of course but I might be able to track one down next summer in the UK for a comparison.

I believe the Facile Punsch is no longer produced. Maybe look for Carlshamns if you are overseas.

For anyone looking to make the Havana Cocktail from that article, I obviously couldn't test it out with the Kronan, so you may need a little more lemon (For Dan I'd go equal parts). I think I figured my homebrew to be about 200g/L. Good drink though.

Edited by thirtyoneknots, 21 January 2012 - 07:47 AM.

[tanstaafl2]

I was also reading this article (where thirtyoneknots gets a mention!) about the master distiller who created it, Henrik Facile. He apparently has a couple of other formulations including one labeled under his own name. Not available here in the US of course but I might be able to track one down next summer in the UK for a comparison.

I believe the Facile Punsch is no longer produced. Maybe look for Carlshamns if you are overseas.

For anyone looking to make the Havana Cocktail from that article, I obviously couldn't test it out with the Kronan, so you may need a little more lemon (For Dan I'd go equal parts). I think I figured my homebrew to be about 200g/L. Good drink though.

Could be. Amathus in London has a listing of something that sorta sounds like it so even if it is not produced anymore there may be a few dusty bottles still in stock so I may try to find it. If not my back up plan was to look for Carlshamns as you note which seems to be pretty available in the UK.

I do plan to give the Havana Cocktail a try at some point although I may use Apry. Is that likely to make a huge difference? I would guess it is a bit different from the Orchard Apricot.

[cadmixes]

That would be cool. FWIW, I found it aplenty at Cambridge Wine & Spirits by Whole Foods Alewife, Cambridge, MA, should you be inclined to buy a bottle.

Thank you! I will be there tomorrow!

[thirtyoneknots]

I do plan to give the Havana Cocktail a try at some point although I may use Apry. Is that likely to make a huge difference? I would guess it is a bit different from the Orchard Apricot.

Apry is significantly sweeter than the Orchard Apricot. Either up the lemon to equal parts, reduce the Apry to 1/2 oz, or cut it half and half with a dry apricot brandy, like Blume Marillen or Barack Palinka. Without messing with it myself I couldn't tell you which of those will give the best results.

[bostonapothecary]

I do plan to give the Havana Cocktail a try at some point although I may use Apry. Is that likely to make a huge difference? I would guess it is a bit different from the Orchard Apricot.

Apry is significantly sweeter than the Orchard Apricot. Either up the lemon to equal parts, reduce the Apry to 1/2 oz, or cut it half and half with a dry apricot brandy, like Blume Marillen or Barack Palinka. Without messing with it myself I couldn't tell you which of those will give the best results.

when looking at the options and averaging the potential sugar contents, that recipe looks to me like it was intended for a dry apricot brandy.

if you cannot get blume marillen or palinka where you are, to keep the tradition alive, you can re-distill an apricot liqueur to concentrate the alcohol and aroma while removing the sugar. the sugars won't caramelize. those that have done it tell me it works well.

[thirtyoneknots]

I do plan to give the Havana Cocktail a try at some point although I may use Apry. Is that likely to make a huge difference? I would guess it is a bit different from the Orchard Apricot.

Apry is significantly sweeter than the Orchard Apricot. Either up the lemon to equal parts, reduce the Apry to 1/2 oz, or cut it half and half with a dry apricot brandy, like Blume Marillen or Barack Palinka. Without messing with it myself I couldn't tell you which of those will give the best results.

when looking at the options and averaging the potential sugar contents, that recipe looks to me like it was intended for a dry apricot brandy.

if you cannot get blume marillen or palinka where you are, to keep the tradition alive, you can re-distill an apricot liqueur to concentrate the alcohol and aroma while removing the sugar. the sugars won't caramelize. those that have done it tell me it works well.

That was what I assumed as well, when I first started tinkering with the recipe. The results using Blume Marillen and homemade Punsch were found lacking, but by all means give it a spin with the Kronan. For my own part I found the flavors weren't particularly harmonious, unlike, say, the Culross.

I think Orchard Apricot is a good compromise, being as it is a not-very-sweet liqueur, based on apricot distillate, not grape brandy.

[slkinsey]

One thing that surprised me, having no real frame of reference, is that Swedish Punsch is not particularly emphatically flavored. For most cocktails where it's used as a modifier, it really adds just a subtle hint and some background notes rather than anything readily identifiable as "Punsch flavor."

Case in point: I tried making the Havana Cocktail using Andy's formulation with Kronan and Orchard Apricot. For my palate it was a bit too sweet with 2 ounces of sweet against only 1/2 ounce of sour. More to the point, though, I thought the Orchard Apricot almost completely overwhelmed the Kronan. I tried it again with 1.5 ounces of gin and 3/4 each of Kronan and Orchard Apricot, figuring that less sweetness and less overall liqueur might help the Kronan come forward. This was better balanced and it was perhaps a bit easier to detect the Kronan, but the Orchard Apricot was still in front. I can only imagine how Kronan wold be stepped on by something more emphatically flavored like Apry in this drink. I might try it again, with 1 1/2 gin, 1 Kronan, 3/4 Orchard Apricot and 3/4 lemon. Or maybe 1 ounce gin, 3/4 Kronan, 1/2 Orchard Apricot and 1/2 lemon for a smaller drink with a touch more Kronan in the ratio.

[thirtyoneknots]

That's kind of frustrating, Sam. I didn't have access to Kronan when I was approached for the story but the stuff I had made, made up of only about 1/6 Arrack, had a subtle but very noticeable flavor. Maybe try going back to the original formula, and trying the Blume Marillen? Something like 3/4 gin, 3/4 Kronan, 1.5 Blume Marillen, 1/4 lemon. The unsweetened apricot brandy might not compete with the Kronan in the same way. Not a Desert Island type drink, but I thought it was a nice showcase for the Punsch, and off the beaten path.

[slkinsey]

Andy, I should hasten to add that it was a good drink regardless. And I wouldn't say that the Kronan didn't make any difference at all. Just that to my palate it was a mostly-apricot-flavored drink with a hint of something else.

I have some barack pálinka at home and will give that a go with Kronan tonight. Using a base of barack pálinka helps make more sense of the original proportions for me, because I find that eaux de vie have the effect of making a drink taste drier. If we figure it's a 3 ounce drink, that would give us 1 1/2 ounces of barack pálinka, 3/4 ounce of gin, 3/4 ounce of Swedish punsch and a quarter-ounce to a teaspoon of lemon juice. That doesn't seem like much lemon juice to balance out 3/4 an ounce of Swedish punsch, but my guess is that the barack pálinka will reduce the perception of sweetness making it possible to balance the drink with only a "dash" of lemon juice. Meanwhile, the richness of the Swedish punsch will hopefully provide some mid-mouth feel and keep the drink from being too lean and light (always a difficulty with eau de vie based drinks).

[thirtyoneknots]

Andy, I should hasten to add that it was a good drink regardless. And I wouldn't say that the Kronan didn't make any difference at all. Just that to my palate it was a mostly-apricot-flavored drink with a hint of something else.

I have some barack pálinka at home and will give that a go with Kronan tonight. Using a base of barack pálinka helps make more sense of the original proportions for me, because I find that eaux de vie have the effect of making a drink taste drier. If we figure it's a 3 ounce drink, that would give us 1 1/2 ounces of barack pálinka, 3/4 ounce of gin, 3/4 ounce of Swedish punsch and a quarter-ounce to a teaspoon of lemon juice. That doesn't seem like much lemon juice to balance out 3/4 an ounce of Swedish punsch, but my guess is that the barack pálinka will reduce the perception of sweetness making it possible to balance the drink with only a "dash" of lemon juice. Meanwhile, the richness of the Swedish punsch will hopefully provide some mid-mouth feel and keep the drink from being too lean and light (always a difficulty with eau de vie based drinks).

My prescription exactly, though I'm a little skittish on barack palinka--kind of a harsh base to use for cocktails. I await your findings.

[mukki]

Made 2 Doctor Cocktails last night (2 oz Appleton, 1 oz Kronan, 1 oz lime juice). Quite good. The Swedish Punsch gives the drink a hint of something different, but not really easy to identify. Perhaps a bit smoky? Definitely made a more "manly" cocktail than I usually drink.

[EvergreenDan]

Something like 3/4 gin, 3/4 Kronan, 1.5 Blume Marillen, 1/4 lemon.

I enjoyed this, although at the price of Blume Marillen it's an expensive drink. The apricot dominated, with just a touch of juniper peaking through. The punsch lended complexity in a fairly subtle way.

[thirtyoneknots]

Something like 3/4 gin, 3/4 Kronan, 1.5 Blume Marillen, 1/4 lemon.

I enjoyed this, although at the price of Blume Marillen it's an expensive drink. The apricot dominated, with just a touch of juniper peaking through. The punsch lended complexity in a fairly subtle way.

Yeah, pour cost is untenable with those types of drinks :(

[mukki]

Tonight's drink was Have a Heart Cocktail from Vintage Spirits. Really enjoyed this one! 1.5 oz gin (Hendrick's), 3/4 oz Kronan, 3/4 oz lime, 1/4 oz "real pomegranate" grenadine (I used Small Hand Foods version). Again, I can't really say that the use Kronan was identifiable as a specific flavoring.

[KD1191]

Is the sugar content of Kronan consistent with traditional Swedish Punsch? I was hoping to enjoy it straight, but it's way too sweet for my (perhaps overly sensitive) unsweet tooth.

Haven't seen it in Chicago yet, but did get to try the Kronan this evening at Anvil in Houston. Compared to the Carlshamns that I brought back from Europe, the Kronan actually seems less syrupy (though I couldn't say it's less sweet, because it's really sweet). The flavor is vaguely medicinal. There's some hogo there, just enough to make me want to mix it with some agricole.

[EvergreenDan]

I tried a straight forward sour:

1 oz Kronan
1 oz Smith & Cross
1 oz Rhum JM, white
1 oz lemon
1 d sugar-cane based bitters (homemade)

Excellent, although I wish the Punch were a little more forward. To keep the sugar balance, I'd have to do something like 1.5/.5/.5/1.5, which might be worth trying. I used lemon to try to get the punsch to stay "visible".

[Curt Rowe]

I tried the Have a Heart with the same portions as Mukki, but with Bombay Sapphire Gin. All I could taste was lime. Afterwards, I tried two parts punsch to one part lime and nothing else and found it to be too sweet. I then mixed it one to one with a white rum. That seemed to be a better combination. I agree with others that the Swedish Punsch tends to easily disappear in a drink. Next, I may try the Mabel Berra Cocktail from cocktaildb.com

[Splificator]

A simple one I threw together last night; mighty tasty, though, I thought.

Murmansk Convoy
(Christened after the convoys that brought American and British armaments over the top of Norway, Sweden and Finland to the Soviet Union during World War II; one of the most dangerous sea duties there was.)

Shake well with ice:
1 1/2 oz Tanqueray gin
3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz Kronan Swedish Punsch
Scant 1/4 oz rich simple syrup
1 drop orange flower water
Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Let 2 or 3 drops of Angostura bitters fall on top.