Phil Ward of Mayahuel in New York City created this tasty rum punch for the 2009 autumn season. It's interesting because it is simple but brings together a fantastic aged rum by Flor De Cana with almost every taste of the season. The recipe below is for a single cocktail, but it can easily be transformed into a party punch by multiplying the quantities by the number of drinks you expect to serve. Also, for the ultimate Halloween party touch, hollow out a pumpkin and use that as a punch bowl - it also adds a little more pumpkin flavor.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Flor De Caña 7-year Grand Reserve rum
- 4 sugar cubes
- 3 oz. club soda
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 pinch of fresh nutmeg
- 1 oz. lemon juice
- 2 oz. apple juice
- toasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
- apple slices, cinnamon sticks and pumpkin seeds for garnish
Preparation:
- Dissolve the sugar cubes in 1 oz. of club soda (this generally involves muddling to help process).
- Muddle the cloves with the sugar cubes.
- After the sugar cubes and cloves are muddled/dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients one at a time and stir as added.
- Add ice once all of the ingredients have been added and stirred.
- Stir the punch until it is chilled.
- Strain the punch into a glass, punch bowl, or carved out pumpkin depending on the size of the portion.
- Top with 2 oz. club soda.
- Garnish with apple slices, cinnamon sticks and pumpkin seeds.
