Well, color me happy and surprised! I asked Chef Nick Rusticus for our Weekly Whet recipe and he gave me a brief history of colonial America and the imbibing days of old. Suffice it to say; while there aren’t exact ingredient measurements, I’m sure our allegiance of alcohol admirers can figure it out!
Philadelphia Fish House Punch: Beginnings
Jamaican Rum, Brandy, Peach Brandy, lemon Juice, simple syrup, black tea, water
The Fish House Punch is arguably, as many cocktail origins are, one of the first truly American cocktails. Long before cocktails became what we thought of as modern, in the early American Colonies, Punches ruled the taverns and farmhouses of the new Nation. They were meant to tame the rough nature of the spirits of that era by adding sweet and citric elements to get an agreeable outcome. And when it is hot there is nothing more refreshing than an ice cold vessel of punch. Goblets, tankards, mugs, and virtually any other tippling vessel will work wonderfully.
In 1732, Schuylkill County, in current day Pennsylvania, was its’ own colony, and later its’ own sovereign State. The center of this, in the region between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers lay the Schuylkill River Fish Company. All the members of this club fished, hunted, ate, toasted, and drank, all the while happily shielded from domestic responsibilities. The club hosted some of the early luminaries of our young Nation: George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, Ben Franklin, and plenty of other venerable statesmen were hoisted at this club. George Washington, who was noted as a dedicated diarist, left his journal empty for the three days he visited the club. One can only assume it was the effects of this punch that led to his silence. Enjoy a tankard of punch whenever you feel patriotic or otherwise overwhelmed by the rigors of daily life.
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