Cup ’O Punch
Rum Milk Punch, Applejack, Roasted Pumpkin, Maple Syrup, Green Tea, Lemon Juice
Bartender Masa Urushido of Saxon and Parole | New York
Yield: 20 servings
INGREDIENTS
150 grams pumpkin, cut into 1-inch cubes and roasted in oven with cinnamon sticks
220 milliliters maple sugar
450 milliliters water
3 tablespoons Hōjicha green tea
Peel of half an orange
Nutmeg
400 milliliters milk
140 milliliters lemon juice
375 milliliters Facundo Eximo rum
375 milliliters Laird’s bonded applejack
METHOD
In a container, combine rum and applejack. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine maple sugar and water. Just before the mixture begins to simmer, add pumpkin and orange peel. Remove mixture from heat and cool to room temperature. Once cool, add pumpkin-orange syrup to rum-applejack mixture, along with lemon juice. In a saucepan over low heat, slowly steep hōjicha in milk, constantly stirring. Just before the mixture comes to a simmer, remove from heat and pour hot tea into the rum-applejack mixture, stirring to combine. Seal the container, place it in the refrigerator, and let macerate for at least 4 hours. Strain punch through cheesecloth and again through a coffee filter. Pour mixture into a glass bottle and chill. To serve, pour punch into a cocktail glass with a large chunk of carved ice. Grate nutmeg over top.