Sourer Than Usual

I’m really liking Kronan Swedish Punsch. Until recently, I had so much trouble buying punsch that I simply made it from Erik Ellestad’s recipe, which works very well. Kronan is a little heavier and darker in character—not a bad thing at all, merely different. I also wonder if it’s a little sweeter since I’ve had to adjust a few cocktails.

But then maybe it’s just me. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth in any case. But as I continue to think about taste and how it works, I notice a slight preference for more tartness in sour drinks—maybe the result of a subtle physiological change with the passage of time. (It’s unlikely that I want more sourness because I’m getting sweeter. Friends would say otherwise.)



Have a Heart

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz Swedish punsch
• 3/4 oz lime juice
• 1/4 oz grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
SOURCE: ADAPTED FROM THE OFFICIAL MIXER’S MANUAL FOR HOME AND PROFESSIONAL USE, PATRICK GAVIN DUFFY

I first saw the original version of this recipe in Dr. Cocktail’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. I especially like the way the intense flavors play off a personality gin like Beefeater 24 or Botanivore.