elements Swedish punsch brings a world of flavor to . Flavor Trip The spirits selection in a typical bar is often as international as travelers in a major airport, with Caribbean rums next to English next to liqueurs from France and Italy. But Queen in this cosmopolitan array, Swedish punsch is a particular Christina standout. With base ingredients hailing from Indonesia, Swedish punsch Jamaica and Guyana, blended in Scandinavia and finding contributes a delicate spice its way into recipes in Europe and the Americas, Swedish to this simple spin on a punsch already has several stamps in its passport before it whiskey . ever reaches a glass. Diki-Diki Swedish punsch is a direct descendant of Arrack Punch— 1½ oz. bourbon ¾ oz. Swedish punsch Cocktail a mixture of Batavia arrack (a sugarcane distillate from Bata- Introduced by Robert ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice via, the Dutch name for Jakarta on the Indonesian island Vermiere in 1922 at Ciro’s ¼ oz. simple syrup (1:1) of Java), tea, sugar and spices—which has a history dating in London, the Diki-Diki is staging a silent comeback back more than 400 years. As had been done by generations Tools: shaker, strainer on some contemporary of seafarers before them, sailors for the Swedish East India Glass: cocktail Company prepared the mixture starting in the 18th century, menus. bringing a taste for punsch home with them. Prepared, Shake all the ingredients 1½ oz. Calvados (or other bottled versions began appearing in the 1840s, and within a with ice, then strain into a apple ) few decades, dozens of brands were sold in Stockholm, rang- chilled glass. ing from Caloric-Punsch and Punsch-Militaire to Elevator- ¾ oz. Swedish punsch ½ oz. fresh grapefruit juice Punsch and Telefon-Punsch. Tom Mahne Though designed to be consumed largely on its own, Eastern Standard, Boston Tools: shaker, strainer Swedish punsch entered the drinker’s realm at the dawn of Glass: cocktail the Golden Age of cocktails. By the early 20th century, cock- tail manuals featured recipes for punsch-bearing drinks, Shake all the ingredients such as the Doctor Cocktail and the Have a Heart, and a 1922 Wisenheimer Flavors of fruit and spice with ice, then strain into a guide from Belgian bartender Robert Vermiere introduced chilled glass. the Diki-Diki Cocktail, pairing punsch with French apple mix with Swedish punsch’s brandy and grapefruit juice (“This is a very popular cocktail heady aroma in this cocktail from Deep Dive. Adapted by in London,” noted a 1923 cocktail book). Long absent from Daniel Shoemaker U.S. bars, Swedish punsch returned to American glasses 1½ oz. pisco Teardrop Lounge starting in 2012, with the development of Kronan Swedish ½ oz. Swedish punsch Portland, Oregon Punsch by Minnesota-based importer Haus Alpenz and ½ oz. dry vermouth Swedish master blender Henrik Facile. Like the traditional ¼ oz. Cointreau versions, Kronan blends a base of Batavia arrack with sugar, 2 dashes chocolate bitters spice and other tart and tannic ingredients, and rounds out the aromatics with Jamaican and Demerara rums. Tools: barspoon, strainer At Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Oregon, a revamped Glass: cocktail Diki-Diki was featured on a recent menu, and the whiskey- Garnish: lemon peel based Sky Rocket has been a house favorite for the better part of a decade. Bourbon and punsch also appear together Stir all the ingredients with in the Queen Christina at Eastern Standard in Boston’s ice, strain into a chilled Hotel Commonwealth, and at Deep Dive in Seattle, bever- glass, then garnish. age director Jermaine Whitehead taps punsch’s global character for his Wisenheimer, made with Peruvian pisco. Jermaine Whitehead “Swedish punsch has so much versatility—people don’t Deep Dive, Seattle know what it is, but it’s a wonderful flavor,” he says. “I like to tell stories of history without shoving it in people’s faces, and with this, you can tell a travel story while putting it in a cocktail.” By Paul Clarke John Valls

32 imbibemagazine.com ~ march/april 2019