How to Make Smoky Punch

Yields: 32 glasses

Preparation time: overnight

Cooking time: –

Ingredients needed to make Smoky Punch:

For the ice block:

• 12 fresh mint sprigs
• 2 cups baby spinach

For the punch:

• 1 bottle ( 12.7 oz) Green Chartreuse, chilled
• 3 cups gin, chilled
• 2 bottles (750 ml) sparkling apple cider, chilled
• ½ tsp angostura bitters
• 2 cups water
• 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice, chilled
• 1 bottle (1 litre) club soda, chilled
• 1 small dry ice block, broken into 2’’ chunks

Cooking instructions for Smoky Punch:

• Pour water in a small saucepan, leaving 1/3 of it empty.
• Squish the spinach with your palms until they turn limp and throw them into the saucepan.
• Wrap a plastic sheet around it tightly and insert the mint sprigs into it so that they stay erect within the pan.
• Freeze them overnight until they turn solid.
• To make the punch, pour the Chartreuse, gin, bitters as well as a splash of lemon juice into a 5 quart plastic bowl and stir them all together until well combined.
• Place this bowl within a larger 10 quart plastic bowl and whisk in splashes of club soda plus apple juice until they blend thoroughly into the punch.
• Peel off the plastic sheet from the ice block and place the saucepan in a large, shallow bowl with hot water to separate loosen up the block.
• Plop the ice block carefully into the punch, without spilling the latter out and fill the outer bowl with water.
• Drop a couple of dry ice chunks into the water, using tongs, for the smoky effect.
• Serve right away.

 Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on April 3, 2013 by