Photo Credit - iStock/a_namenko

The punch itself is almost a lost art. Sure, you could say that frat houses are keeping the punch alive in trash cans across America, and while that certainly gets the job done, it’s lacking a bit in the elegance department. The punch deserves so much more. Some of America’s Colonial politics were shaped over a punch, pirates used to hold court over a punch made from the ingredients they plundered from ships, it has history! The punch should be considered a national treasure, and it’s been reduced to being served out of a trash can? We can do better.

So how can you elevate your punch? A little ingredient called Oleo Saccharum, which translates into “oily sugar”. Although it sounds like a spell you would learn in wizarding school, it’s fun to say, and easy to make. You simply muddle or vacuum seal lemon peels with sugar, and let the citrus oils seep out into the mixture. Add hot water, and you have a complex and unique syrup. Historically, oleo was mainly created out of the necessity to make use out of every bit of fruit. Citrus wasn’t easy to come by, so they stretched its use as far as it could go.

Adding oleo to your punch will give it a depth and brightness you can’t find in any other ingredient, and will really set it apart from your everyday cocktail. David Wondrich, author of the book Punch, even says a punch isn’t a punch without it. Don’t stop with just lemon either…you can make oleo saccharum with grapefruit, blood orange, pomelo, tangerine, really any citrus that you can find.

Philadelphia Fish House Punch

Start by creating the oleo saccharum.

Oleo Saccharum
1 cup sugar
The peel of 4 Lemons
4 cups Hot Water

Muddle lemon peels with sugar until the oils start to seep into the sugar. Let sit for 1 hour and add hot water, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Let sit 1 hour, and strain out lemon peels. Pour into punch glass and add the following.

1 cup Lemon Juice
4 cups Plantation Original Dark
2 cups Remy VSOP Cognac
1/2 cup Mathilde Peach Liqueur

Stir and when ready to serve, add ice to chill.

This recipe even comes with a limerick…
There's a little place just out of town,
Where, if you go to lunch,
They'll make you forget your mother-in-law
With a drink called Fish-House Punch.
The Cook (1885)