columbian punch (variant)

The second punch was the Columbian Punch. It was much anticipated since I had left the recipe on the counter and the combination of ingredients sounded rather tempting. Had I served this one first, the Fish-House Punch might have been dwarfed flavor-wise. The recipe was created in 1893 to honor the 401st anniversary of Columbus’ trip to America. Although a year late for the quadricentennial celebration, the punch was made for the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. The recipe was later published in Beverages and Sandwiches for Your Husband's Friends.

Columbian Punch (variant)
• 1.75 liter Amber Rum
• 750 mL Calvados
• 8 oz Green Chartreuse
• 32 oz Oolong Tea
• Juice of 4 Lemons
• Juice of 4 Oranges
• 2 cups of Sugar
• 2 x 750 mL bottles Sparkling Hard Cider

The original recipe would have used Cognac instead of Calvados and Champagne instead of cider. My notes say that I used Mount Gay Eclipse rum, Morin Selecion Calvados, and Farnum Hill Summer Cider from New Hampshire. Also, I used orange juice instead of squeezing oranges and pre-made cold process simple syrup (1:1) instead of stirring the crystals into solution in the punchbowl itself. Similar to the Fish-House, the rum and apple brandy were placed in the freezer overnight. The cider, simple syrup, and tea were refrigerated.

The small amount of Chartreuse in the drink did give the punch a rather pleasant herbal nature to it and complemented the Oolong tea rather well. The apple flavors from the Calvados and cider were present but not overwhelming.