g.m. gurton's punch

1/2 pint Rum (2 oz Lemon Hart 80)
1/2 pint Sherry (2 oz Lustau Los Arcos Dry Amontillado)
1/2 pint Brown Brandy (2 oz Pedro Domecq Fundador Solera Reserva)
1 gill Curaçao (1 oz Senior Curaçao)
1 pint Lime Juice (4 oz)
1 gill Ginger Syrup (1 oz Ginger People)
3 pint Weak Green Tea (12 oz Jasmin Green Tea)
Sweeten to Taste (1 1/2 oz Sugar)

Assemble in a punch bowl with block ice; ladle into cups when the punch has chilled. Alternatively shake and pour into an ice filled Collins or rocks glass. I added a long lime twist as a garnish. The four fold scaled down recipe makes two 12 oz servings before ice is added (more servings if punch cups are used).

Two Mondays ago, my reprint of William Terrington's 1869 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks arrived and I was keen on giving one of the recipes a try. As I flipped through the pages, one of the punches stood out as not only quick to make but one that had win written all over it. G.M. Gurton's Punch appealed to me for it paired ginger syrup and green tea along with an old school trio of spirits: rum, sherry, and brown brandy. Filling in the gaps were orange liqueur, lime, and enough sweetener to balance the punch to my liking. Neither the book nor the web provided any history as to whom Gurton was, but the recipe remains a hundred and fifty years later so we can raise a glass to him or her!
G.M. Gurton's Punch proved to be a low proof and refreshing recipe! The punch's aroma sang out with lime and green tea notes. On the sip, a sweet lime flavor paired well with the Curaçao; meanwhile, on the swallow, the green tea predominated with hints of ginger, brandy, and the nuttiness of the sherry. Given the alcohol content of the drink, it definitely was both a cooling cup and a dainty drink, but one that kept my interest until there was nothing left but half melted ice cubes and the collapsed lime peel spiral.