Kevin, I’ve never made my own Swedish Punsch, so there’s that. The defining elements of Swedish Punch seem to be Batavian Arrack, rum or brandy, tea, sugar, lemon, and tropical spices to taste (nutmeg and cardamom seem to be classic choices).

The first formula I recorded was Eric Ellestad’s , from the old Savoy Stomp blog. Since I have easy access to Kronan, which I like, I never motivated to brew any; Google can point you to myriad recipes , some simpler, some more complex.

I look forward to hearing the results of your experiments. In fact, you have me thinking now of trying this myself.

Thanks for following Cold Glass.

I agree about the lime, it can be pretty aggressive. I think of this as a rum (!) drink, and a light touch with citrus is well advised. You characterize it well, that this drink is about rum and Swedish Punsch. Thanks for adding to the conversation!

I think evolution of taste is one of the most educational aspects of cocktailing. I often find, as you have, that when I go back to a drink that I haven’t made for a while, that I change it from the finely tuned proportions that I published. It’s usually centered around my sense of sweet and sour, but sometimes it has as much to do with the spirits themselves. And sometimes the changes are bigger yet—when I started this blog, I was mostly a gin guy; it turns out that now I’m a whiskey and rum guy. Self-discovery never ends, I guess.

I’m delighted that Cold Glass is useful; thanks for letting me know. (And now you’ve reminded me that I want to try my hand at making Swedish Punsch.)

First off: my apologies, Scot, for overlooking your comment for two (!) months.

I think it’s really fun that you went to the effort to compare this recipe to your favorite from Vintage Cocktails. There was nothing for it, of course, but to duplicate your experiment—someone has to do the dirty work.

(For those who haven’t read Ted Haigh’s Vintage Cocktails, the recipe he recommends is: 2 parts Jamaican rum to one part Punch and one part lime juice, garnished with a lime twist.)

The results were thought provoking. I hadn’t had a Doctor for a while, so I came to it relatively fresh. On this review, the original recipe (above) seems very sweet—almost as though Trader Vic had reversed the Swedish Punch and the rum in his recipe. No way to know, I guess; some recipes emphasize the Punch, some don’t.

So I also did the experiment that you almost certainly tried: I made two Doctors according to the Haigh formula, one with the original lime portion, and the other substituting lemon and orange. The results were much as you described: the lime version was bright and aggressive, sort of a Daiquiri with something in it; the lemon/orange version was a bit softer, a bit more lush, with the flavors of the Punch coming forward a bit more recognizably.

Perhaps my tastes have changed, or perhaps I’m more of a rum lover than I was when I originally wrote that article. Whatever the cause, I consider both of the rum-dominated versions superior.

I sense a return visit from the Doctor coming on…

Thanks for commenting, and for starting me down this learning path again.

The major difference i found in your lemon and orange vs. lime version is a mellow and sweet taste compared to the version i’m used to. While i do like your version, i have to say it comes across as almost a “diet” version of the punsch/rum/lime version i’m used to. Ironically much sweeter, but also less intense.

Swedish punsch has a very dry and strong overpowering taste that may turn off those new to the world of craft cocktails, but those who have fumbled around making cocktails at home may have already acquired a taste for it’s distinctive and unmistakeable flavor.

While this version is delicious and maybe more suitable for some, the lime version really brings out the taste of the punsch AND the rum (i go back and forth with Meyers dark and Smith & Cross, depending on where I am and which cabinet I am fishing out of…)

just my humble opinion…

Krister— that’s a fascinating account, and suggests that Punsch has become more of a passé, perhaps nostalgic, formal ritual among the Swedes, rather than a mainstream refreshment? It reminds me that many of the great punches had their origin in large social gatherings, and particularly as “regimental” punches; Chatham Artillery Punch is one of the famous ones that I should write up one of these days.

Thank you for adding the video to your comment. In addition to being both enlightening and entertaining, it also has the honor of being the first video posted at Cold Glass!

Oh well, thanks. Part of the fun with cocktails is finding new glassware…

A “magical virtual cocktail hour,” I like the idea. I prefer the non-virtual type, but what a pleasant concept.

Now, about your grandmother—Manhattans for lunch? I think I would have liked your grandmother very much.

I hope that’s ‘stopped me cold’ in a good way? Just a testimony to how much I enjoy the blog, especially on those days when there is nothing I would like more than to be sitting in the upstairs restaurant in St Pancras Station (London), sipping a Thursday or Friday late afternoon cocktail (usually vodka martini for me)after work with husband/friends/colleagues, but can’t. ‘Cold Glass’ provides me with a magical virtual cocktail hour.

Regarding RM, don’t know if I could stand all that vermouth myself, and manhattans remind me (in a good way) of lunches when I was a kid with my grandmother and her friends, definitely not Sex and the City!

I’m glad you enjoyed the photo. Alas! that I’m no help with the glass—it came from a local antiques and collectibles shop, so I don’t even know the name of the maker.

I didn’t realize it, either, so my first sip on bringing it home was quite a revelation. I imagine you’ll enjoy the Doctor.

The idea that someone would think of me and my blog as they read an article in the NYT—especially an article by and about two of my favorite inspirations—is something that takes me quite aback. It stopped me cold as I read through these comments. Very uplifting, thank you for letting me know.

As for the “reverse” Manhattan, I would say it comes from switching the roles of the whiskey and vermouth. It’s normally served as a bit of vermouth in lots of whiskey; Paul Child’s was a bit of whiskey in lots of vermouth. I love the traditional Manhattan, but I’ll have to give this “reversed” version a try.

Thanks!

Incidentally, I thought of your blog the other day when reading a NYT article by Jacques Pepin on Julia Child. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/dining/jacques-pepin-recalls-friendship-with-julia-child.html?pagewanted=all). In it, he recalls a trip to Julia’s house and having Paul Child make what Pepin called ‘a reverse Manhattan:’ “It is made mostly with sweet red vermouth, a wedge of lime or lemon and a couple of tablespoons of bourbon. ”

Not quite sure where the reverse comes in though….