palaver punch

2 oz Bluecoat Gin (Damrak)
1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/2 tsp Allspice Dram (1 bsp St. Elizabeth)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Brown Sugar Syrup

Shake with ice, strain into a glass with 1 oz soda water, fill with ice, and add a mint sprig.

For the cocktail hour on Sunday night two weeks ago, I pulled out my copy of Tom Sandham's World's Best Cocktails and found the section on punch compiled by Al Sotack then of Philadelphia's Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. From those recipes, I selected Sotack's Palaver Punch that seemed to merge a Dry Martini with citrus and spice elements of a more classic punch.
The Palaver Punch met the senses with a minty aroma. Next, a carbonated sip matched caramel-molasses notes from the brown sugar with citrus ones from the grapefruit and lemon juices, and finally, the swallow proffered botanical flavors from the gin and allspice liqueur with a citrussy finish.