Southern Cooler Image Used Under Creative Commons License From spiceandtea.com
Citizens, if there is one thing that the Carpetbagger known as TFD has learned from his Southern in-laws, it is this: southerners REALLY know how to concoct refreshing drinks for hot days!
However, while my DNA may be 99.99% Eastern European Jewish (via NYC) according to 23andme, my soul is assuredly reborn south of the Mason-Dixon Line!
As such, allow the admirer of the Antebellum that is your Citizen Prime to share my latest thirst-quenching creation with you!
I believe it will find favor with all of you, Northerner or Southerner alike. 🙂 Should you choose to spike this with a little (or a lot) of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked for an adult beverage punch (#punintended), I most certainly salute your alcohol decision!
Speaking of punch – did you know that the term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to the United Kingdom in the early seventeenth century, and from there its use spread to other countries. Punch is typically served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.
The word punch is actually a loanword from the Sanskrit पञ्च (pañca), meaning “five”, as the drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.
The drink was brought to England from India by sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early 17th century. From there it was introduced into other European countries. When served communally, the drink is expected to be of a lower alcohol content than a typical cocktail.
The term punch was first recorded in British documents in 1632. At the time, most punches were of the wassail type made with a wine or brandy base. But around 1655, Jamaican rum came into use, and the “modern” punch emerged. By 1671, documents make references to punch houses.
Non-alcoholic varieties of punch, which are especially given to children as well as adults who do not drink alcohol, typically include a mix of some fruit drink such as juice, water, and a sweetener like sugar.
A drink closely associated with Kentucky and other Southern states, sweet bourbon punch is made with sweet tea (a signature drink of the South), citrus flavors and bourbon whiskey. Bourbon is named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, and each year during the Kentucky Derby, recipes for bourbon punch abound.
Whether boozy or virgin, my cooler will become your new go-to thirst quencher in the heat of Summer – of that, I can assure you!
Battle on – the Generalissimo
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 pint water
- 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice - pureed in blender
- Zest and juice of 4 well-washed lemons - TFD prefers Meyer lemons if you can find them
- Zest and juice of 1 well-washed lime
- 1 cup ice-cold bottled water
- 3 cups ice-cold peach-flavored iced tea
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Blueberries for garnish
- Mint sprigs for garnish
- Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon (highly optional)
Instructions
- Make a syrup by boiling the sugar and water for 10 minutes. Add the puréed pineapple with juice, lemon zest and juice, and lime zest and juice.
- Cool, strain, and add cold water, iced tea, bourbon (if using) and rosemary. Serve over crushed ice, garnished with mint and with blueberries floating in glass.
- Note: cooler should be poured from a pitcher and served in a tall or stemmed glass.
