Ep. 90: C’mon baby light my fire – Charles Dickens Punch

Happy Halloween! We have a CROWD PLEASER for you today. The Charles Dickens punch, which is set ablaze before it is served and best believe, it’s good. Jules also reveals her Poison Apple-tini witch is hauntingly delicious. Uncle Brad digs into the history behind Charles Dickens’ punch, and it turns out... he was kind of a dickens. You’ll know what we mean when you listen.   

Charles Dickens Punch 

Glass: Heat resistant Punch Bowl (or heavy pot) and heat resistant glasses 

Garnish: Lemon wheels and grated nutmeg 

Ingredients: 

Cognac 1.25 cups 

Rum 2 cups 

Black Tea 5 cups 

4 Lemons (set 1 aside)  

Demerara Sugar 0.75 cups 

Directions 

1. In your punch bowl add: 

• Thin peels (no pith) of 3 medium lemons (set lemons aside, you will juice these later) 
• ¾ cup demerara sugar 

Using your fingers, press/mash the sugar together with the lemon peels (oils will start to extract form the lemon peels) 

Let sit for 30 min or as long as overnight (more flavor comes through the longer it its) 

1. In a saucepan add: 

• 5 cups water 
• 10 ounces of black tea (could be loose tea or 10 tea bags) 

Boil the tea for 3 – 5 minutes – it's ok, black tea is more oxidized and can handle the boiling. Remove from heat and set aside.  

1. Juice 3 lemons (from step 1) and strain into a separate vessel, you don’t want pulp and seeds floating in your punch 

Take a minute to warm your next two ingredients (you can combine) over low heat in a sauce pan (don’t let this catch fire... yet). Or add the ingredients to a large jar (enough to hold 3.25 cups of liquid) and let rest inside your saucepan of hot tea. You can also warm your ladle in here too, you will want it warm so it doesn’t cool off the spirits.  

1. Now BACK TO YOUR PUNCH BOWL. Add: 

• 2 cups Rum (warmed) 
• 1 ¼ cup Cognac (warmed) 

Ladel a small amount of the rum and cognac out and hold it away from the punch bowl. Light the contents of the ladle on fire. You should see a nice blue flame coming off the ladle. If it doesn’t light, your ingredients are still too cold.  

1. Turn back to your punch bowl and hold the ladle close to the top of the bowl, pour the fiery contents of the ladle into the bowl 

Now that the contents of the bowl are ablaze in a beautiful blue flame.  

****Let the bowl burn for 3 – 4 minutes and stir occasionally with the ladle***   

1. After the fire has burned for 3 – 4 minutes, add your tea and lemon juice 
2. If the fire did not go out, go ahead and gently blow it out or cover it with a tray 
3. Remove the lemon pips if you plan to let the punch sit for more than a few hours  
4. Slice 1 lemon (saved for your garnish) into half wheels and add them to the punch or individual servings.  
5. Grate a little nutmeg over the top per glass or over the entire bowl. 

Poison Apple-tini 

Glass: Nick and Nora glass 

Garnish: Grenadine  

Directions & Ingredients 

First start by cooking down your grenadine to create a thick syrup style texture. 

Place on a rimming dish and let cool slightly before rimming glass with the grendaine and letting it fall like blood. 

In a cocktail shaker add 

2 oz apple whiskey 

1 oz apple pucker 

1.5 oz cranberry juice 

2tbsp gold edible glitter 

Add ice and shake! 

Strain into a nick and nora with a bloody rim 

TIP: How to make your dr