Regent's Punch

The Regent's or George the Fourth's Punch (reigned from 1820 - 1830)

This recipe was shared by "a person who made the punch daily for the Prince's table…"

Pare as thin as possible the rinds of two china oranges, of two lemons, and ove one seville orange, and infuse them for an hour in half a pint of thin, cold syrup; then add to them the juice of the fruit. Make a pint of strong green tea, sweeten it well with fine sugar, and when it is quite cold, add to it the fruit and syrup, with a glass of the best old Jamaica rum, a glass of Brandy, one of Arrack, one of pine-apple syrup, and two bottles of Champagne; pass the whole through a fine lawn seive until it is perfectly clear, then bottle and put it into ice until dinner is served. We are indebted for this receipt to a person who made the punch daily for the prince's table, at Carlton palace, for six months; it has been in our possession for some years and may be relied on. Modern Cookery for Private Families, by Eliza Acton (1849)

Punch à la Regent, by P. Watier, Royal Lodge, 1820: original. (from William J. Terrington, Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks, 1869, page 235)

Take 4 oz. of clarified sugar, thin peel of 1 lemon and 1 Seville orange, 1 bottle of dry Champagne, ½ bottle of white brandy, ½ gill of rum, ½ arrack, ½ gill of pineapple syrup, 1 wine-glass of Maraschino; pour 1 quart of boiling water over 2 teaspoonsful of green tea; let it stand five minutes; strain, and mix with other ingredients; pass through a sieve; let it remain in ice 30 minutes.
Original source: William J. Terrington, Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks, 1869.

Jerry Thomas' Regent's Punch
from http://cocktails.about.com/

Of all the punches in the world, I think this may be one of the more interesting. It comes from Jerry Thomas' 1887 Bar-Tenders Guide and I have adapted it a bit for modern ingredients. The main change is that the recipe as printed called for Capillaire. This was originally a medicinal syrup made from the maidenhair fern to which orange-flower water and honey were often added. Over the years it transformed to become, essentially, an orange simple syrup and there is a recipe for that below.

Other than that slight update, this recipe is unchanged and is filled with interesting flavors in keeping with the brandy-rum punches of Thomas' time. Notably, this one mixes both green tea and Champagne along with a considerable amount of lemon and orange (curacao) flavors. The Batavia Arrack is a special ingredient seen often in these punches and was used often to enhance citrus flavors. One place to find it is K&L Wine Merchants.

If you are looking for a unique punch for your next party, you may want to give this classic from Jerry Thomas a try.

1 pint brandy
1 pint rum
1 pint Batavia Arrack
1 pint curacao liqueur
3 cups strong hot green tea
3 cups lemon juice
3 cups orange simple syrup*
1 bottle Champagne
1 pineapple, sliced
2 oranges, sliced

Combine the liquors, tea, lemon, and syrup in a punch bowl and mix well.

Immediately before serving add ice, Champagne, and fruit slices.

Serve in punch glasses.

Yield: about 25-5 oz servings

*To Make Orange Flower Simple Syrup:

This makes an orange-flavored simple syrup that is not quite as thick as a rich (2:1) syrup. More orange flower water can be added to taste, however it is a rather concentrated flavor and it can easily be overpowering.

2 1/2 cups water
2 ounces orange flower water
3 cups demerara sugar

Bring the waters to a boil.

Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly.

Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. (Note: Do not allow the syrup to boil for too long or the syrup will be too thick.)

Allow to cool completely and thicken, then bottle.

Regent's Punch (courtesy of David Wondrich)

2 bottles of dry sparkling wine (sugg. Gruet Brut)
8 oz. brandy (sugg. Pierre Ferrand Ambre)
2 oz. Jamaica rum (sugg. ¼ Smith & Cross and ¾ Angostura 1919)
2 oz. Batavia arrack
2 oz. Marashino liqueur
3 lemons
2 oranges
4 oz. raw sugar
2 cups of green tea (two tea bags steeped for 5 min.)

Take off the peel of the all the citrus with a vegetable peeler, being careful not to get too much of the white pith. Place the peels in a large glass bowl with the sugar. Using a muddler or wooden spoon, mash the peels with the sugar until the sugar is wet with the fruits' oil. This is the oleo-saccharum, a critical step in many punches worth learning. Pour the hot tea over the sugar and peels, mix to combine, and add the juice from the citrus. Strain the result through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher, and allow to cool slightly. Add the brandy, rum, arrack, and Marashino, stirring to combine. Let this mixture cool fully, and refrigerate until you are ready to serve, at least three hours.

For service, combine the mixture with the two bottles of chilled sparkling wine in a punch bowl. Add a large block of ice, which can be made by filling a cake pan with water, letting it freeze solid, and then releasing the ice by running the back of the pan under hot running water. Throw a couple of lemon slices in the punch bowl, if so desired. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.