The Jerry Thomas Project is the re-creation of all of Jerry Thomas’ cocktails from Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tenders Guide: Receipts for Mixing in their purest form. Jerry Thomas is considered America’s father of mixology publishing the first cocktail book in 1862.
So I’m back on board with the Jerry Thomas Project – I want to apologize for not working on his drinks recently. The truth of the matter is that I lost the book – and I finally broke down and bought a new book only to find the one I lost immediately upon receipt of the new book. But it actually makes it easier as now I have a copy for the bar and a copy for home. The cocktail I’m making today is simple – you can make it in any bar in America, no special bitters, no wines that haven’t been produced in over a century, and no other mesmerizing ingredients that we can’t find but Jerry Thomas took for granted.
El Dorado Punch
Ingredients:
1 pony of brandy
1/2 pony of Jamaican Rum (might I recommend Appleton Estate)
1/2 pony of bourbon
1 tablespoon of sugar dissolved in water
1 slice of lemon
* (1 pony = 1 ounce)
Fill the tumbler with ice, shake well and serve with berries or small pieces of orange. (It is the beginning of berry season here in Oregon, so this could be a great thing to do with you farmer’s market leftovers.
This drink quite honestly isn’t all that great. It is extremely boozy and I would rather have the brandy, rum, or bourbon by itself on the rocks rather than mixed together with a hint of sugar. But it is a fun recipe concerning the history of rum punches. Wayne Curtis in his book, “and a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails” states, “Punch could be found wherever rum was found — which is to say, everywhere in America within horse cart distance of the West Indian trade.” In the 18th century, every American household had a punch bowl, most made out of ceramic although wealthy individuals often times had a custom made silver punch bowl. Thomas makes a lot of punches, although not that many with rum. So this is a little leftover from before Thomas’ time.
To check out other Jerry Thomas Project recipes – click here.
I am a mixologist bartender and this is my blog.