This punch is an original Trader Vic recipe from the 1960’s.
Ingredients
This recipe serves 60. Adjust accordingly for your party size.
- Juice from 24 lemons (2 Tblsp / lemon = 24 oz.)
- Juice from 24 oranges (4 Tblsp / orange = 48 oz.)
- 6 oz orgeat syrup
- 6 oz sugar syrup
- 1 1/4 quarts of light rum
- 1 1/4 quarts of dark jamaican rum
Steps
This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and store in the fridge while you take care of other party preparations. I also made an ice block in my freezer to keep the punch cold and keep dilution to a minimum.
Since I didn’t feel like juicing all that citrus, I used bottled juice. I figured out the quantities and put it down in the ingredients list.
If you make ahead of time:
Add all the ingredients to a suitable container and stir together. Store in the refrigerator to cool down. This punch will store for several days in the fridge.
If you make right before the party:
Add all of the ingredients into a punch bowl and stir well with ice to chill it down.
Garnish the punch bowl with sliced oranges and lemons along with mint leaves for a little color.
How to make an ice block:
Follow these steps to make a clear block of ice that will add a bit of class to your punch bowl.
First, use a small cooler that you can remove the top from or just leave open. I have a small 4 qt. Igloo cooler similar to this one.
Fill the cooler with bottled or filtered water about one inch below the top of the cooler.
With the cooler top off or kept open, place the cooler into the freezer. 24 hours in the freezer will give you a frozen block about halfway down while 48 hours will pretty much freeze the whole thing.
The block will be clear with maybe an inch of unclear ice at the bottom. This can be shaved / cut off if desired or it will eventually melt away in the punch.
Tasting notes:
There is a good balance between the rum(s) and the citrus juice in this drink. Putting a slice of lemon or orange and a mint leaf in your glass adds to the aroma and gives it a slight flavor kick.