16 September, 2022

Jasper’s Lemonade

Comments : 1 Posted in : Drinks of the Week, Tailgate Drinks on September 16, 2022 by : Chuck Tags: Brandy, Dark Rum, Drink of the Week, Jasper Crouch's Quoit Club Punch, Jasper's Lemonade, Lemon, Madeira

(Originally from Esquire Magazine, June 1st, 2013)

Back before the Civil War, the Buchanan Springs Quoit Club used to meet just outside Richmond every other Saturday from May until October. The members and their guests would throw quoits (basically iron doughnuts) at posts, eat roast pig barbecued with cayenne pepper, and drink the punch Jasper Crouch, a freed slave who knew his mixology, would make for them.

Here’s his formula, modified for the current day. (Originally called Jasper Crouch’s Quoit Club Punch)

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

• 6 lemons and their juice
• 1 cup of sugar
• 750 ml brandy (preferably Bertoux Brandy)
• 250 ml Dark Bacardi Rum
• 250 ml Madiera wine
• Ice
• Nutmeg

Assembly

1. Peel 6 lemons. Reserve the peels
2. Put peels in a loosely covered glass container with 1 cup sugar and leave for 3 to 4 hours, stirring it with a chopstick occasionally. This will extract oil from the peels.
3. Add 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice to sugar-oil mix and stir with the chopstick.
4. Pour the sugar/juice mixture into a large punch bowl half full of ice cubes.
5. Add the brandy, rum, and wine to the bowl and stir until combined. Let it sit and mellow for at least 5 minutes.
6. Stir well, and grate nutmeg over top. Pour into cups and enjoy.