May 21, 2008

The Careful Man's Peachy Punch

By: Sonny Bunch

In my review of Kingsley Amis’s Everyday Drinking for the Washington Times, I reference ‘The Careful Man’s Peachy Punch.’ For those intrepid enough to read me both at the Times and here, this is the full recipe for said Peachy Punch:

5 bottles medium-dry white wine
4 bottles champagne cider (dry, if possible [editor’s note: it probably isn’t])
2 bottles British peach wine [editor’s note: don’t worry about the country of origin; VA peach win will work as well as British peach wine]
1 bottle of vodka [editor’s note: the cheapest swill will do]
2 lb. fresh peaches (more if possible, tinned if really necessary)

Stone, cut up and soak the peaches [in the vodka for a couple of hours before mixing everything together]. When the time comes, mix in the white wine, the peach wine, and the vodka. Fill your tub, add ice, stir and pour, adding the chilled cider to each glass in the proportion of two from the jug to one from the bottle. Serve immediately.

This will serve nearly 60 glasses for, if you go cheap (and you should), less than $80. If you want to get fancy, cut up some extra peaches and place them next to the punch bowl for people to place on top of the punch after they pour it into their glass. It’s a classy touch that people will appreciate.