Cocktails by Ceylon Arrack –

Presidency Punch

To remind Sri Lankan Expats of Christmas back home this week’s cocktail recipe of the week is Presidency Punch which includes nutmeg and Jaggery, and made with Ceylon Arrack now available online at Dan Murphy’s.

General Sir John Gayer, an English governor of Bombay for the East India Company, ﬁrst penned this recipe in the 17th century. It is a delicious blend of lime juice, jaggery reduction, nutmeg and tea, which Carl Anthony Brown of the chic Dishoom restaurant in London recently reinterpreted using Ceylon Arrack. Finely crafted, full of ﬂavour and ﬁt for a roomful of dignitaries, this is a recipe that will last for centuries yet.

INGREDIENTS

225ml Ceylon Arrack

75ml lime juice

100ml jaggery reduction

300ml green and bay leaf tea

Nutmeg

METHOD

Pour all ingredients into a large punch bowl and stir gently. Serve over cubed ice in a vintage copper sharing bowl. Ladle into elegant coupe glasses or, for a totally different efect, old-timey copper cups. Crumble in jiggery to taste and ﬁnish with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

MAKING JAGGERY REDUCTION

Place a saucepan on a low heat, add 50ml of water and 100g of jaggery. Stir and simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until reduced to 100ml.

Both Ceylon Arrack and Colombo 7 Gin are now available online at www.danmurphys.com.au

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Tusker