Hey! How’d you like a nice non-Hawaiian Punsch?  You would?  You want a Swedish Punsch?  Fantastic.  You’ve come to the right place, because Swedish Punsch is featured in both of the drinks in this latest episode.

What is Swedish Punsch exactly?  Well, as it says on the Kronan Swedish Punsch website,

RICH HISTORY. BOLD FLAVOR.

Created from sugar cane spirits from the East and West Indies, KRONAN Swedish Punsch offers a rich, full-bodied rum palate with complex notes of toffee, smoke, molasses and leather.
The history of Swedish punsch dates back to 1733 when the Swedish East India Company started importing the main ingredient – the sugar cane spirit Batavia Arrack. Since that time, punsch has held a unique place in Swedish culture. Originally it was mixed using heat to melt the sugar into the alcohol and served while warm. With bottled commercial versions appearing around 1840, it became more common to serve it chilled.
By the turn of the 20th century, Swedish punsch found its way to America, where it became an essential ingredient in numerous classic cocktails. In the turmoil of prohibition and global war it disappeared from the market until the launch of KRONAN Swedish Punsch in 2012.

Doesn’t it seem like a mistake not to make a drink with this stuff?

Both of our drinks come from the first cocktail book that Gentleman Jason ever bought on eBay!  The wooden covered book is called “Just Cocktails” and was edited and compiled by W.C. Whitfield.  This book dates back to 1939 so you know the tastes you’ll be tasting are truly vintage.  Let’s give them a whirl.

First up is drink called “The Lasky”.  We don’t know who it is named after for sure, but we decided that it was probably named after a professional boxer named Art Lasky.  Even if it wasn’t, this drink is a real knockout!  

(pause for extended laughter)

The Lasky
-from Just Cocktails, 1939, compiled by W.C. Whitfield

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Swedish Punsch
1 ounce grape juice

Shake ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Gin and grape juice?  Yes!  It works!  In fact it all works.  The Swedish Punsch has this warm rummy flavour that sort of gloms on to the tartness of the grape juice, making the Punsch itself a little fruitier.  Then along comes old man gin just to remind you that this truly is a cocktail after all.  Really neat and a taste you haven’t had since the second world war.

After that, why not try a “Volstead”?  This drink is cheekily named after Andrew Volstead, the U.S. Congressman who sponsored and championed the bill that brought about Prohibition in the United States.  Take that Mr.Volstead!  Oh, excuse me . . . Congressman Volstead.

The Volstead
-from Just Cocktails, 1939, compiled by W.C. Whitfield

1 ounce Swedish Punsch
1 ounce rye
1/2 ounce orange juice
1/2 ounce raspberry syrup
dash of anisette

Shake ingredients in an iced cocktail shaker, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

We’ll tell  you up front, this is a sweet drink.  Everything in it is already kind of sweet, and it all adds up quickly.  It works though.  The raspberry syrup and the orange juice can both be tasted and don’t try to out flavour each other.  Any edges the rye might have are smoothed off by the rummy, toffee goodness of the Swedish Punsch.  Could it benefit from a little splash of club soda?  Maybe.  Give it a try and let us know.  Maybe a twist of lemon too.  Maybe lime.  Something a little tart to slap the sweet in the face with!

Speaking of sweethearts (see what we did there? Tart?  Sweet?  Sweethearts?), join us next time for a couple of pink drinks that are sure to be the highlight of your Valentine's Day!   Until then, TIP BIG!!

Happy Birthday Elvis!  That’s right, it was the King’s birthday on January 8th and it seemed to us that the gentlemanly thing to do, was to make a couple of cocktails in honour of the man himself!

Unfortunately, (just like Elvis all those years ago), our microphone has left the building.  Or, more to the point, our microphone was not hooked up properly and once again our podcast was recorded on the crummy microphone on the front of the laptop. (Thanks Fred).  This episode was an hour and twenty minutes long.  There is no way we are going to make you listen to that.  There is a plan afoot to remedy the situation, but in the mean time, here are the delicious cocktails we prepared and please click on the player above for the abbreviated version of the show.  Enjoy the cocktails and see if you can figure out how they relate to Mr. Presley!

Also, before we begin, Gentleman Jason would like to thank Ian Boothby and David Dedrick for having him as a guest again on the Sneaky Dragon Podcast.  Check out their website here.  Their show is always entertaining and sometimes can take you on a pretty wild ride.  Subscribe on iTunes and let them know you liked their show!

First up for us, the Burnside.  This cocktail is named after a civil war general named Ambrose Burnside.  He was noted for a particular way of wearing his facial hair.  Hmmmmm.  What could that style possibly be?

The Burnside

1 ounce gin
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/2 teaspoon cherry brandy
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice in a high ball glass.

This yields a delightful dusky rose drink.  You can taste the gin but it’s tamed by the two vermouths.  You can taste the vermouth but it’s tamed by the cherry brandy.  The Angostura just makes sure everyone is behaving themselves.  Like a general in charge of his troops!  This is an easy drinking “complex” drink.  Try one right now!

Up next is the venerable Kentucky Colonel.  This is an old classic and rightly so.  Unlike Elvis’s manager “Colonel Tom” Parker, this is the kind of drink you would like to have manage your money and career!

Kentucky Colonel

2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce Bénédictine

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice.

You can’t go wrong with this drink.  The sweetness of the bourbon is there, but it’s the herbal sweetness of the Bénédictine that transforms this to classic cocktail stature.  So simple, but so good.  Have you finished your “Burnside” yet?  Good!  Make a “Kentucky Colonel” now.

See you next time and I promise we'll get the microphone hooked up properly!