fascination street

2 oz Remy Martin VSOP Cognac
3/4 oz Jasmine Tea Syrup (*)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Liquidy Guava Jelly (**)
1 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Shake with ice, strain into a punch cup, partially fill with ice, and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
(*) A strong 5 minute steep of Twining's Jasmine Tea in boiling water. Strain (or remove the tea bag), add an equal volume of sugar, and stir to dissolve.
(**) Equal parts guava jelly (the pectinized brick type) and water. Cut the jelly into small blocks, heat with water such as through microwaving, and stir until liquidy. It will stay thick but pourable even if refrigerated, and will be good if kept refrigerated for 2+ weeks.
For my third drink for the Earl's Cocktail Lab two weeks ago, I decided on basing a drink on guava jelly. My mind quickly went to a pair of classic punches: the Barbadoes Punch from Jerry Thomas' 1862 Bartender's Guide and the West Indies Punch from 1869 Cooling Cups & Dainty Drinks. Similar to the Jakartoni, I kept the tea element found in the West Indies and other classic punches, and here I utilized a floral black tea in the form of a syrup. To balance the sweetness, I added lemon juice and a hint of a drying spice from Peychaud's Bitters. To round out the trilogy of drinks named after songs from The Cure's Disintegration album, I was lured in by Fascination Street.