CookEat Recipe
Orange and Rum Punch
A filtered rum and orange punch with lemon-zest infusion, served without a flame.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1.5 litres rum labelled 40% ABV; 1 litre potable food-grade alcohol labelled 95% ABV, divided into 100 ml and 900 ml; 1 litre drinking water; 1 kg fine caster sugar; Juice of 3 washed oranges, freshly squeezed and strained; 1 unwaxed lemon, washed, coloured zest only.
Step 2
Use only potable food-grade alcohol labelled 95% ABV and sold for making liqueurs; never use denatured, rubbing or fuel alcohol. This is an explicit modern strength choice, not a conversion of an unspecified historical alcohol scale. Measure carefully, keep closed and away from flames, sparks and heat, and never taste the undiluted alcohol. Rum at 40% ABV is a modern working choice. This recipe makes a large batch of alcoholic punch, not a non-alcoholic syrup.
Step 3
Finely grate the coloured lemon zest into a clean glass jar with 100 ml of the alcohol. Close and infuse for 3 days in a cool room-temperature cupboard away from heat. Strain through a clean fine cloth and discard the zest.
Step 4
Put the water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil and boil for 5–6 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely, keeping the syrup covered as it cools. Do not add any alcohol while the syrup is hot or the pan is near a flame.
Step 5
Squeeze and strain the orange juice. In a large clean food-safe container, combine the completely cold syrup, rum, orange juice, the remaining 900 ml alcohol and all the filtered lemon infusion. Filter through food-safe paper into clean glass bottles and close.
Step 6
Refrigerate and serve small chilled portions, without lighting the drink. The historical flaming service is deliberately omitted. No exact final alcohol percentage or validated long storage life is established; use a freshly prepared batch for serving rather than treating it as a shelf-stable juice preserve. The estimated 180 small servings and listed time include the 3-day zest infusion.
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