white and dark rum, orange Curaçao,
fresh lemon and orange juice, spices
and water.
Where to Start
Jeffrey Morgenthaler has had considerable firsthand experience marketing
punches. A master mixologist and
the bar manager of Clyde Common in
Portland, Ore., Morgenthaler says the
initial step is finding the appropriate
glassware for the job. He recommends
searching on eBay or scouring local
second-hand stores for punch bowls,
ladles and cups.
“I prefer the look and functionality
of punch bowls with built-in pedestals.
They just look more presentable on a
table. From a practicality standpoint, I
advise only using sturdy glass punch
bowls at a bar. Expensive, high-end
glassware has its place, but that place
typically isn’t a high-volume bar or cock-
tail lounge. As for special handling and
care, I just treat them with the same
care I use with all our glassware.”
One operational concern is how to
keep these large drinks from becom-
ing warm as they sit on the table.
Adding scoops of ice is an option, but
one that often over-dilutes the punch.
Victoria D’Amato-Moran prepares a
smaller version of whatever punch
she’s promoting and freezes the drink
in ice trays the night before. She then
adds some of those cubes to the punch
bowl, keeping the drink cold but not
too watery.
A seasoned mixologist with what
amounts to a post-graduate degree on
the subject, D’Amato-Moran also advis-
es employing a tactic her mother taught
her: “She would take a copper Jell-O
mold, fill it with water, mint leaves
and an assortment of fresh berries and
place it in the freezer overnight. The
next day it’s submerged into a punch
bowl and keeps the drink icy cold with
a minimum amount of dilution. It works
like a charm.”
Kato also offers this piece of ad-
vice: “If you’re making a punch for a
group of people who will consume the
punch right away, I don’t think cover-
ing a punch bowl is necessary, but if
your bar is serving punch all day, I’d
definitely put some sort of a cover on
the punch bowl. I personally wouldn’t
order a punch that’s sitting on the bar
for hours.”
When guests see the people at
the table next to them drinking a
gigantic drink out of a communal
glass bowl, THEY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW SUIT AND
ORDER ONE OF THEIR OWN.
—Jonathan Pogash, Director of Cocktail
Development, Hospitality Holdings
Regarding how to go about develop-
ing a punch drink for your bar, Pogash
recommends beginning with a classic
recipe and updating it for your clientele.
For example, at The Campbell Apart-
ment and The Empire Room, Pogash
promotes an upscale version of the Pro-
hibition Punch in single servings, which
he describes as a fantasized Planter’s
Punch with added passion fruit juice
and Moët & Chandon Champagne ($16).
It’s been a profitable venture because,
he explains, “it’s so popular, it just be-
comes one of those drinks that allows
for profit. We sell so many of them
every day.”
At his other venues, the Prohibition
Punch recipe substitutes the passion
fruit juice with passion fruit tea-infused
Appleton VX Rum. “The response has
been tremendous. Guests return time
and time again just to drink our punches
and to brag to their friends that these
are some of the best drinks they’ve
encountered in a while.”
And that, my friends, sums up why
punch drinks have become a bankable
trend. NCB
Thirsty for more?
Looking for some field-tested punch recipes? The
mixologists featured in this article have given us
their best. Check out these punch recipes at our
website — www.nightclub.com.
