Hi Peter, I am planning to make this for a family gathering Labor Day weekend. Any reason it couldn't be served out of a spout as opposed to a bowl? Not as fancy or classic, but easier for the outdoor group setting. Also, pre-ice, this looks to be at about 100 ounces. Does that sound about right? Thank you!
I have not tried it, but cutting everything by half should work.
When I have done this for a smaller group and had leftovers, I have typically just bottled the remainder and given it to a friend or — and I recognize this is not an option for everyone — taken it to the office.
Excited to try this for my first post-Covid party — but I can’t find true peach brandy for the life of me. You’d recommend the flavored stuff over a crème de pêche (like Merlet) or a peach liqueur (like Rothman & Winter)?
Yeah, it's a small enough portion that you can get away with using the cheap flavored stuff. I've made it that way and it's still pretty tasty.
The liqueurs are in some ways better quality ingredients, but they are much sweeter - you often see them used effectively as sugar substitutes in cocktails. What you want is something more like a traditional high proof spirit.
Great, thanks! I assume the same holds for apricot brandy, which I *was* able to find. I'll just go with E&J across the board -- my friends aren't that classy anyway...
I would not use gin in place of the rum. It might work OK in place of the peach brandy, if only because the peach brandy is such a small portion. But gin is (usually) an unaged spirit, and typically you don't want to swap aged spirits for unaged spirits.
If you are looking for an easy peach brandy substitute specifically, I'd recommend just using an unflavored peach brandy, or possibly more rum.
Catoctin Creek—the pride of Virginia!
...and the bottle that you can get delivered in D.C.
If I had to sub Grand Marnier for the cognac (I live in PR, and sometimes the choices are slim), any idea how much I might want to reduce the sugar?
I would start with 4 ounces instead of 8, then taste it. If it's too dry, add another ounce or so, then continue until it tastes about right.
If you can't find real cognac, pretty much any aged brandy -- even quite cheap stuff like Paul Masson -- will work in that slot.
Do you strain the peels out at any point or do they stay in the punch?
They stay in! You can strain them out but I leave them floating in the mix. It’s not like people are going to accidentally inhale them.
Professor Suderman, would you recommend making this with a cheap peach flavored brandy option, or a good apricot eau de vie?
Ended up going the apricot route. I think it’s fair to say the recipe was a smashing success. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hi Peter, I am planning to make this for a family gathering Labor Day weekend. Any reason it couldn't be served out of a spout as opposed to a bowl? Not as fancy or classic, but easier for the outdoor group setting. Also, pre-ice, this looks to be at about 100 ounces. Does that sound about right? Thank you!
Hi Joe,
I don't see why this couldn't be served from a spout, but I would strongly recommend including ice, as this is meant to dilute slowly over time.
Thank you for the confirmation. And yes, I’ll definitely have an ice block as well!
Have you ever tried reducing the recipe for a smaller gathering of maybe 4 to 6 people? Is it worth trying?
I have not tried it, but cutting everything by half should work.
When I have done this for a smaller group and had leftovers, I have typically just bottled the remainder and given it to a friend or — and I recognize this is not an option for everyone — taken it to the office.
Taking leftover punch to the office sounds like a good topic for a future article!
fantastic and very timely article. I'm making it today (the oleo saccharum smells wonderful!)
Excited to try this for my first post-Covid party — but I can’t find true peach brandy for the life of me. You’d recommend the flavored stuff over a crème de pêche (like Merlet) or a peach liqueur (like Rothman & Winter)?
Yeah, it's a small enough portion that you can get away with using the cheap flavored stuff. I've made it that way and it's still pretty tasty.
The liqueurs are in some ways better quality ingredients, but they are much sweeter - you often see them used effectively as sugar substitutes in cocktails. What you want is something more like a traditional high proof spirit.
Great, thanks! I assume the same holds for apricot brandy, which I *was* able to find. I'll just go with E&J across the board -- my friends aren't that classy anyway...
Would it be possible to substitute gin for the rum? Maybe replacing the peach brandy?
I would not use gin in place of the rum. It might work OK in place of the peach brandy, if only because the peach brandy is such a small portion. But gin is (usually) an unaged spirit, and typically you don't want to swap aged spirits for unaged spirits.
If you are looking for an easy peach brandy substitute specifically, I'd recommend just using an unflavored peach brandy, or possibly more rum.
Ah okay, that makes sense. Do you think the infused brandy you posted last thanksgiving would help or hurt this?