If this Pretty Girl Punch doesn’t make you want to hike up your petticoats and dance the mambo, nothing will! A new Oscar-Worthy Cocktail inspired by West Side Story.
This Pretty Girl Punch is the second recipe in my Oscar-Worthy Cocktails Series. I’ve married my love of classic film with my love of alcohol to make damned sure we’re all drinking like stars at the #Oscars2017. See the entire series here.
Propaganda Alert: I’m using this post as a platform for my movement to Bring Back the Punch. This movement just started five minutes ago but I’m currently feeling very passionate about it.
Never doubt my love for a good craft cocktail. I enjoy them plenty. But their individualistic nature combined with the length of time it can take to make one sometimes leaves me wanting something simpler. Cozier. Low maintenance. Namely, the punch. There’s something unifying about everyone partaking of the same beverage. And the punch bowl itself can be kind of like a little bee hive.
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It’s like the water cooler at work. But not at work. And with alcohol.
Chances are slim that you’re going to be the only one at the punch bowl during a party. So punch is a built-in opportunity to mingle in a really natural way. And, if you’re an awkward mingler like me you know that’s GOLD.
On top of that, it’s not uncommon for someone to offer to pour some punch into your glass for you. How nice is that? It’s just so easy to be generous at the punch bowl.
So this Pretty Girl Punch is named for one of the lightest moments in the classic film, West Side Story. I originally set out to create an Oscar-Worthy Cocktail for Anita but this rum punch is all Maria. Sweet. Zesty. Tropical. Light. And (in that scene at least) a little bit loopy. Anita needs something saltier. I’m still working on it so it will probably turn up here at some point.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say the reason the dance at the gym didn’t go over so well is that they didn’t serve a [non-alcoholic cuz high school] punch. Punch unites! Go watch that scene. No punch bowl. Major oversight if you ask me.
In sum, punch is basically optimisim in a big, beautiful, cut-glass bowl. So drink it. Share it. Promote it.
Fair Warning: this Pretty Girl Punch is very light and sweet and goes down easy. But there’s a full bottle of rum in there. So just pay attention to how much you imbibe.
Or you may not be feelin’ so pretty in the morning.
This recipe calls for one cup of my Sorrel Simple Syrup. You can find that recipe here.
Sorrel {Hibiscus} Simple Syrup
- 1 cup sorrel simple syrup
- 1 12 ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
- 1 750 ml bottle Bacardí Superior
- 1 liter bottle seltzer water
Combine sorrel simple syrup and frozen limeade in a large bowl. Refrigerate until right before your guests arrive.
At show time, combine all ingredients in your punch bowl. Seltzer should be added last.
- It can be fun to make an ice ring for your punch bowl. Here's a how-to on that. I used a bundt pan and froze some lime wheels inside it. Very pretty!
- Calorie info is approximate based on 20 people having one glass of punch. It will vary according to your ingredients and serving size.
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