maori punch

2 oz Gin (Beefeater)
1/2 oz Passion Fruit Syrup
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a stemmed vessel with a wide mouth like a Martini glass or snifter; no garnish was specified but I opted for a nasturtium.

A few weeks ago, Matt Pietrek on CocktailWonk posted Trader Vic's recipe for Maori Punch that Matt discovered in a 1949 newspaper. The original called for passion fruit juice, and it was uncleared if it was sweetened and to what extent since it was the only element to balance the citrus, spirit, and bitters. Matt took the guess work out by subbing in a lesser volume of passion fruit syrup to balance his adaptation. Overall, the concept reminded me of the Taglin Club that was my passion fruit for orange liqueur Pegu Club fitted to a Scofflaw structure, so I was intrigued. I planned on making this using a nasturtium blossom from my garden as a garnish, until the last one disappeared thanks to Tubby, our yard's groundhog that most notably ravaged my cucumber plants by getting over the three foot garden fence. I solved the problem by booking vacation tickets for Tubby, and a few weeks later, the nasturtiums began to gain foliage and thus flower again.This was also my welcome back to cocktails after Covid hit me for the second time (last time was two years prior in August 2021 during the Delta wave). In the glass, the Maori Punch greeted the nose with passion fruit and pine aromas with a peppery note from the nasturtium garnish. Next, tropical and lime elements on the sip enchanted a gin and bitter tangerine swallow. Overall, the Maori Punch veered from the Pegu Club's grapefruit notes on the swallow into something much softer.