Buying, Making & Using Swedish Punsch

[JMT]

To some extent I think it also depends on the alcohol base you use. I think some oak barrel rum would make it closer to the real thing than vodka which is what most good moonshine resembles closest.

Also don't forget to put the stuff in the freezer, I think punch is best served cold. Carlshamn flaggpunch is 26% alcohol just so you know what to aim for if you get some essence.

[tikibars]

I hate to be too much of a food snob, but the content declaration of the Saturnus Arrack Punch doesn't make it sound particularly appealing:

Water, sugar, invert sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, aromas, lemon juice, food colouring (E150a), preserving agents (E202, E211), antioxidation agent (ascorbic acid), acid (citric acid)

←

Yeah, I actually agree - I hadn't seen the ingredients list.

Looks sketchy.

Still, this stuff was pretty good in a drink I once had... but then again I'd had three drinks at Nacional 27 first, so who knows what sort of shape I was in...

[Tiare]

I have received a few requests if i can find an old recipe for homemade Swedish punsch and here are a few. I have never tried these recipes myself so i don`t know the result..

SWEDISH PUNSCH RECIPE

About 2,25 litres

8 dl water

11 dl sugar

9 dl 40% spirit

35 cl "Extra Fine Batavia Arrak"

37 cl white wine or lemon juice according to taste

simple syrup

1 dl strong tea.

Heat the water and dissolve the sugar. Cool. Mix the simple syrup, spirit, arrak and wine or lemonjuice.

Add some tea for color.

RECIPE FROM ABOUT 1950

1,5L water

1 kg sugar

3 tbslp dark sugar

1 tsp citric acid

6 tblsp vinegar (15%)

1,4L vodka or spirit 96%

350 ml extra fine Batavia Arrak

350 ml dark rum

350 ml dry sherry (ex amontillado)

60 ml good cognac

Take a large pot and add 1 1/2L water.Add the sugar and the dark sugar,citric acid and the ättikan.The citric acid and the vinegar adds a bit of tartness and that special yellowish color so nessesary for a true Punsch.

Bring to a quick boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Leave to simmer for a couple of hours. Leave to cool before adding the spirits.

Stir real good for at least 20 min before bottling.

RECIPE FROM 1755:

"Boil water in a tea pot and pour the hot water in your Punsch bowl and add lemonjuice and sugar and then the Arrak."

Start adding the sugar in the bowl, then add lemonjuice and hot water.Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the Arrak and stir.

Add the peel of a fresh lemon. Cool before bottling.

7 dl arrak

2 l water

3,5 dl clear strained fresh lemon juice

700 g sugar

ANOTHER RECIPE

2 oz. Batavia-Arrack van Oosten

1/2 oz. Rum

3/4 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 oz. Simple Syrup

3 oz. Water

A pinch of ground cardamom or nutmeg.

OLD PUNCH COCKTAIL RECIPE

Doctor": 1/3 gin, 1/3 punsch, 1/3 pressed fresh lemon juice.

[drcocktail]

I sent Eric Seed samples of the Swedish Punsch brands I own quite some time ago: Cederlund's (once the most famous in America - pretty anemic stuff), Carlshamn's (very nice, stronger - available after Cederlund's retraction from the market in the States), and Grønstedt's Blau (in my view, the best Swedish Punsch out there; smokey & rich.) Wouldn't you know - the Grønstedt's broke. I will say the Facile Punsch E.S. sent me a sample of was maybe even better than Carlshamn's to my tastes. So I know that Eric knows what good Swedish Punsch tastes like, but for a while (and as observed via DW in this thread) I was having difficulty making clear the difference to him between what HE thought Swedish Punsch was supposed to be (the Arrack Punch beverage) and the honest-to-god liqueur that we are discussing.

I think he gets it now. For instance, I'm very disinclined to believe there is lemon juice in the liqueur. If there was, well....let me put it this way: I have a full 1930s bottle of Cederlund's and it still has total clarity. You can see through it. Note what happens to cordials and alcoholized syrups that DO have juice in them...think about that 20 year old bottle of Rose's Lime you have stashed away....clear still? Not so much. I AM cheered to see someone cite tea an ingredient. I admit I didn't realise it, but as soon as I read it I KNEW it was right.

The Van Oosten Batavia Arrack is, of the 3 brands I have messed with, the best I have EVER tasted. It will make a superb base for Swedish Punsch. I firmly believe Eric will toil away until he gets it right. He's been a hero to us all already!

--Doc.

Edited March 4, 2008 by drcocktail (log)

[thirtyoneknots]

For Swedish Punch, one should use Jerry Thomas' second recipe for Arrack Punch (the one titled "another method").

Here it is:

Steep in one quart of old Batavia Arrack, six lemons cut in thin slices, for six hours. At the end of that time the lemon must be removed without squeezing. Dissolve one pound of loaf-sugar in one quart of boiling water, and add the hot solution to the arrack. Let it stand to cool. This is a delightful liqueur, and should be used as such....

←

Historical authenticity aside, does this recipe produce something resembling the modern commercial product? Most of the other recipes contain tea; this does not.

The kindness of a co-worker travelling in NYC has yielded two bottles of Batavia Arrack van Oosten...I'd like to proceed with some Swedish Punsch, but I've only got one shot at it. This certainly looks easy enough, but it's significantly different than the other recipes given...has anyone made this and compared?

-Andy

[eas]

There is such variation even within the commercial punches, I'd highly encourage you to scale down the recipes. They are easy to make.

The modern commercial products have a great deal of variation. The Facile Punsch may have the most complex (think vanilla and tea) flavor. The Grønstedt's is much more forward with the Arrack's smokyness, and for that you'll want to experiment in the sugar world. I've recently tried a variation using carmelized sugar, and it made quite a positive impact to the profile.

And now that you have some Batavia Arrack, don't forget to make some chocolate mousse.

[Tiare]

And now that you have some Batavia Arrack, don't forget to make some chocolate mousse.

←

Finally managed to get one! chocolate mousse..mm

[thirtyoneknots]

Last night I went ahead and made an attempt using this recipe, using Mt Gay Eclipse for the rum, as per eje's suggestion, combining everything this morning. I couldn't resist a taste, and when I did I surprised by the intensity of the lemon rind flavor; before sweetening it was quite bitter, and afterwards it was still very prominent, though I am willing to accept that I was focusing on that aspect due to having tasted it unsweetened. I'm not sure it was still bitter after sweetening, just very rind-y. Did I do something wrong, or will the rind aspect mellow, or is that just part of the flavor of Swedish Punsch?

-Andy

[thirtyoneknots]

Last night I went ahead and made an attempt using this recipe, using Mt Gay Eclipse for the rum, as per eje's suggestion, combining everything this morning. I couldn't resist a taste, and when I did I surprised by the intensity of the lemon rind flavor; before sweetening it was quite bitter, and afterwards it was still very prominent, though I am willing to accept that I was focusing on that aspect due to having tasted it unsweetened. I'm not sure it was still bitter after sweetening, just very rind-y.  Did I do something wrong, or will the rind aspect mellow, or is that just part of the flavor of Swedish Punsch?

-Andy

←

Ok so I gave it another taste and it's much more mellow and integrated, the lemon rind flavor moving to the background and I can only assume it will continue to do so as it rests. Very peculiarly flavored stuff, can't wait to give it a spin.

[eje]

Thomas' Arrack Punch Variation II

1 cup Appleton V/X Rum

1/2 cup Batavia Arrack

1 cup hot extra strong tea (2 tsp Peet’s Lung Ching Dragonwell tea brewed in 1 cup water)

1 cup sugar

1 lemon sliced thinly, seeds removed

1 lime sliced thinly, seeds removed

Put sliced lemon and lime in a resealable non-reactive container large enough to hold 4 cups of liquid. Pour Rum and Batavia Arrack over citrus. Cover and steep for 6 hours.

Dissolve sugar in hot tea and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

After 6 hours, pour rum off of sliced citrus, without squeezing fruit.

Combine tea syrup and flavored rum. Filter and bottle in a clean sealable container. Age at least overnight.

---

Tried this room temp, straight and found the bitterness of the lime a little overwhelming.

On the rocks, however, it was pretty darn tasty.

[Tiare]

Thomas' Arrack Punch Variation  II

1 cup Appleton V/X Rum

1/2 cup Batavia Arrack

1 cup hot extra strong tea (2 tsp Peet’s Lung Ching Dragonwell tea brewed in 1 cup water)

1 cup sugar

1 lemon sliced thinly, seeds removed

1 lime sliced thinly, seeds removed

Put sliced lemon and lime in a resealable non-reactive container large enough to hold 4 cups of liquid. Pour Rum and Batavia Arrack over citrus. Cover and steep for 6 hours.

Dissolve sugar in hot tea and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

After 6 hours, pour rum off of sliced citrus, without squeezing fruit.

Combine tea syrup and flavored rum. Filter and bottle in a clean sealable container. Age at least overnight.

---

Tried this room temp, straight and found the bitterness of the lime a little overwhelming.

On the rocks, however, it was pretty darn tasty.

←

I have all the ingr except for that tea which i doubt i will find here, is there any other similar (and common) tea i can use?

[eje]

I have all the ingr except for that tea which i doubt i will find here, is there any other similar (and common) tea i can use?

←

Try an Asian Market.

It's also sometimes called "Long Jing" in English.

Another loose leaf Chinese Green Tea of some sort? Just not a Jasmine Tea. That would probably be pretty bad.

There are so many, it's hard to know what you have, what might be available, or what it might be called.

Looks like this, with the leaves in long needle-like bundles:

Long Jing

Edited May 21, 2008 by eje (log)

[eje]

I have all the ingr except for that tea which i doubt i will find here, is there any other similar (and common) tea i can use?

←

[...]

←

Haha! I can't believe a Swede is asking me for advice on Arrack Punch!

Mange tusen tak! You've done wonders for my self esteem!

[Tiare]

I have all the ingr except for that tea which i doubt i will find here, is there any other similar (and common) tea i can use?

←

[...]

←

Haha! I can't believe a Swede is asking me for advice on Arrack Punch!

Mange tusen tak! You've done wonders for my self esteem!

←

Hm..it was the tea i was asking about..not the arrak... but ok..the punch then, you win.

Edited May 21, 2008 by Tiare (log)

[slkinsey]

I have all the ingr except for that tea which i doubt i will find here, is there any other similar (and common) tea i can use?

Try an Asian Market.

It's also sometimes called "Long Jing" in English.

Another loose leaf Chinese Green Tea of some sort? Just not a Jasmine Tea. That would probably be pretty bad.

There are so many, it's hard to know what you have, what might be available, or what it might be called.

Looks like this, with the leaves in long needle-like bundles:

Long Jing

So, you used a green tea rather than a black tea? Don't you figure the original probably called for black tea?

[eje]

So, you used a green tea rather than a black tea?  Don't you figure the original probably called for black tea?

←

Hmm...

I thought I was being pretty clear by calling it, "Thomas' Arrack Punch Variation II." that I wasn't making a replica. Guess not.

When I'm making liqueurs for myself, at home, I'm always trying to think of ways to change or improve them. I don't see any reason to make the same thing exactly the same way twice. Not like I'm selling them or making a menu item.

In this case, I purchased two organic lemons with the intent of making it to the recipe I'd used before. Turned out, by the time I got to making the punch, one of the lemons was not in great shape. So I used a lime and a lemon. When it came time to make the tea syrup, I was going through the various teas in my cabinet and for some reason the Dragonwell seemed a more appropriate and interesting choice with the lime in the picture. When it was done, I tasted it and liked it. The intersection of lime and green tea was as interesting as I had hoped.

I had some friends try it and most were pretty positive.

So I thought I would post the recipe.

[eje]

Fantastic MxMo blog post here by Tiare regarding the history of Swedish Punsch (and not just because she mentions my punch recipe):

THE SWEDISH PUNSCH - Asian distillate becomes a Swedish tradition.

For my city Stockholm i haven`t found any special regional cocktail with a traditional connection to the city itself, but i live in the land of the swedish punsch which is the most local flavor or product that i can find. Its mainly consumed in the midsummer celebrations, along with other spirits and traditional midsummer food. Its also an old tradition to drink the punsch to pea soup.

This should be a magazine article!

[mbrowley]

I concur. Something about one of your recipes bothered me a little, Erik, though and it didn't take long for me to put my finger on it—I'm cheap. Er, that is, I'm always trying to squeeze as much value as I can from life and I saw some opportunity in the lemon slices that macerate in the rum and arrack for your Tales version of punsch.

I've had luck with lemon pies and the old Shaker recipes that call for very thinly sliced lemons seemed a decent match for the lemon slices we'd otherwise just throw out after making a batch.

So a pie was in order. Not a cocktail, of course, but lemons, rum, arrack, sugar, and a dose of finished punsch baked in a shell and inspired in part by this thread.

Here's the recipe for lemon punsch pie. And, by the way, we're nearly halfway through the scaled-down one-liter batch. I should have made more, but want to play around with more tea varieties, especially a large dose of dragon eyes longan tea I have from In Pursuit of Tea. Authentic? Maybe not. Tasty? I'd lay money on it...At this rate, we'll need a new batch of punsch next week, so I'll let you know.

Fantastic MxMo blog post here by Tiare regarding the history of Swedish Punsch (and not just because she mentions my punch recipe):

THE SWEDISH PUNSCH - Asian distillate becomes a Swedish tradition.

For my city Stockholm i haven`t found any special regional cocktail with a traditional connection to the city itself, but i live in the land of the swedish punsch which is the most local flavor or product that i can find. Its mainly consumed in the midsummer celebrations, along with other spirits and traditional midsummer food. Its also an old tradition to drink the punsch to pea soup.

This should be a magazine article!

←

[Chris Amirault]

I made Erik's underhill lounge Tales punsch tonight. I haven't a clew as to whether it's "authentic" or not, but it's mighty tasty. I'm eager to give it a go in some vintage recipes for Swedish punsch.

Question for the punschers: a few receipts include vanilla extract. Yes? No? Maybe so?

[Chris Amirault]

Oh, and: what should I make with this stuff?

[thirtyoneknots]

Oh, and: what should I make with this stuff?

←

The Doctor Cocktail is a fine showcase for Punsch:

1.5 oz Amber rum (Appleton V/X particularly fine here imo)

.75 Punsch

.75 lime

shake/strain/up

I find that basing liqueurs or infusions off of Demerara rum can cause them to clash a tad with other spirits, so distinctive is it's character, but the earlier version I made with Mt. Gay is delicious here.

[eje]

I made Erik's underhill lounge Tales punsch tonight. I haven't a clew as to whether it's "authentic" or not, but it's mighty tasty. I'm eager to give it a go in some vintage recipes for Swedish punsch.

←

Well, that recipe is based on two recipes from the version of Jerry Thomas' book on Darcy's Art of Drink site. The Imperial Arrack Punch and United Service Punch. If I remember correctly, one had citrus and one had tea. I used both citrus and tea. I also added cardamom. I've been tweaking it for about a year and a half now.

Current large version:

Underhill Punsch IIIa

2 750ml Bottles of Appleton V/X Rum

1 750ml Bottle Batavia Arrack van Oosten.

8 lemons, sliced thin and seeded.

750ml Water.

8 teaspoons Yunnan Fancy China Black Tea.

4 crushed cardamom pods.

4 cups Washed Raw Sugar.

This makes a bit more than 3 litres.

Put sliced lemon in a resealable non-reactive container(s). Pour Rum and Batavia Arrack over lemons. Cover and steep 8 hours.

Heat water and steep tea and cardamom in it for 6 minutes. Pour through cheesecloth to remove tea leaves and cardamom pods.

Dissolve sugar in hot tea and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

After 8 hours, pour rum off of sliced citrus, without squeezing fruit.

Combine tea syrup and flavored rum. Filter and bottle in a clean sealable container(s). Age at least overnight and enjoy where Swedish Punch is called for.

Biffy Cocktail, Doctor Cocktail, Corpse Reviver No. 2, etc. Just search through the Savoy topic for "Swedish". It's funny, given many folks seemingly instinctive dislike to Batavia Arrack, how popular this recipe has become. A lot of people seem to like it just on the rocks or with some selzer.

Edited October 19, 2008 by eje (log)

[Mike S.]

Erik, can you think of any reason why this recipe wouldn't scale down well? I'd love to try it but I'm leary of producing 3L of the stuff at one go. I may try a 1/3 batch unless you think it would not work that way.

[eje]

Erik, can you think of any reason why this recipe wouldn't scale down well?  I'd love to try it but I'm leary of producing 3L of the stuff at one go.  I may try a 1/3 batch unless you think it would not work that way.

←

Absolutely!

I've made one this size and it worked fine:

1 cup Appleton V/X Rum

1/2 cup Batavia Arrack

1 cup hot extra strong tea (2 tsp Chinese Black Tea tea brewed in 1 cup water)

1 cup sugar

2 lemon sliced thinly, seeds removed

[Chris Amirault]

That's what I made, in fact, with some substitutions (Lemon Hart rums and a different tea). It's terrific.