Ingredients (9)
- 1 1/2 cups genever, chilled
- 1/2 cup orange curaçao, chilled
- 1/2 cup Rich Simple Syrup (recipe link in intro)
- 10 dashes aromatic bitters, such as angostura
- 1 cup sparkling water
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sparkling wine or Champagne
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Pineapple slices and star anise, for garnishing
San Francisco mixologist Erick Castro taught us how to make this easy holiday punch. It’s a flexible recipe that works with almost any base spirit. Here we use genever, blended with orange curaçao, simple syrup, bitters, sparkling water, lemon juice, sparkling wine, and a touch of grated nutmeg. Garnish with pineapple slices and whole star anise before serving. You’ll need to make a batch of Rich Simple Syrup and freeze a large block of punch ice before you begin.
What to buy: Infused with botanicals like juniper just like London-style gin, genever (a.k.a. Holland or Dutch gin) is a maltier, funkier relative that mixes very well in cocktails. Anchor Distilling and Bols make good versions.
Instructions
- 1Pour the genever, orange curaçao, simple syrup, and bitters into a punch bowl and stir to combine.
- 2Add the sparkling water, lemon juice, and sparkling wine or Champagne just before serving.
- 3Place a large block of ice in the punch and stir gently just to combine. Grate nutmeg over top of the punch, and garnish with pineapple slices and star anise.