This punch, from Zac Overman of Sitka & Spruce in Seattle, is mouthwateringly tart and slightly fizzy, juicy and a little herbal, thanks to fresh strawberries, thyme, and Bonal, a flavorful French aperitif that's bittered with cinchona and gentian. It's easy to batch up the punch mix in advance, then combine it with Cava, Crémant, or another dry sparkling wine in each serving glass. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Small lidded pitcher or quart-size Mason jar, fine-mesh strainer, Collins glasses for serving INGREDIENTS For the Strawberry-Thyme Syrup: 1 cup (240ml) water 1 cup (195g) sugar 1/2 cup quartered strawberries (about 5 to 6 small berries; 65g) 7 sprigs fresh thyme For the Punch Mix: 4 ounces (120ml) Strawberry-Thyme Syrup 6 ounces (180ml) pisco (such as Barsol) 6 ounces (180ml) Bonal 6 ounces (180ml) fresh juice from 4 lemons To Serve: 1 (750ml) bottle dry sparkling wine, chilled DIRECTIONS 1. For the Strawberry-Thyme Syrup: Add water, sugar, strawberries, and thyme to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove solids. Let cool before using. Syrup can be refrigerated up to 1 week. 2. For the Punch Mix: Combine Strawberry-Thyme Syrup, pisco, Bonal, and lemon in a small lidded pitcher or quart-size Mason jar. (You will have 22 ounces of the punch mix.) Stir to combine. At this point, mix can be used immediately or covered and refrigerated up to 10 hours. Extra Strawberry-Thyme Syrup can be served with seltzer for a nonalcoholic drink. 3. To Serve: Fill each Collins glass with ice. Add 3 ounces sparkling wine and 2 3/4 ounces punch mix to each glass and stir gently. Serve immediately.
Bottle up this bright and tangy pisco cocktail today for brunch tomorrow. This drink is especially delicious in winter, when grapefruits are at their peak flavor. Batching the drink in advance means you're all ready for lazy weekend day-drinking. Note: Use a vegetable peeler to remove zest for the syrup; trim off as much white pith as much as possible. A mix of Ruby Red and Oro Blanco grapefruits yields especially fragrant juice, but you can also use all Ruby Reds with good results. Encanto Pisco from Peru has a wonderful herbaceous quality, but you can substitute whatever pisco is available to you. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: medium saucepan, fine-mesh strainer, air-tight container, 24-ounce carafe or swing-top bottle INGREDIENTS For the Grapefruit Syrup: Zest from one medium grapefruit (see note) 1 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice from 2 to 3 grapefruits (see note above) 1 cup granulated sugar For the Bottled Cocktails: 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice from 3 limes 9 ounces pisco, such as Encanto 4 1/2 ounces Grapefruit Syrup 6 sprigs fresh thyme for garnish DIRECTIONS 1. For the Grapefruit Syrup: Combine grapefruit zest, juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Strain into an air-tight container. Refrigerate until ready to use or up to 1 week. 2. For the Bottled Cocktails: In the bottom of a mixing glass, muddle together thyme and salt. Add lime juice and stir. Fine-strain into a 24-ounce carafe or swing-top bottle and then pour in grapefruit syrup and pisco. Cap and gently shake to combine. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. 3. For each cocktail, add one large ice cube to a double rocks glass. Pour in 2 3/4 ounces of the bottled cocktail. Gently stir and garnish with a sprig of thyme.
