Punch
Punch is a refreshing summer drink made of wine, sparkling wine and fruit or herbs. Colourful, fruity and well chilled, this fizzy classic guarantees fruity enjoyment.
Facts
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3-5
ingredients
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18.
century
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50s
years
There’s really not much you can do wrong with this fruity cocktail – if you keep a few simple basic rules in mind:
- The best punches only use a couple of ingredients.
- A punch is only ever as good as the wine or sparkling wine used in its making. German quality wine, a light Kabinett and fruity Winzersekt are excellent choices.
- Only use fresh and fully ripe fruit.
- Peel and chop the fruit carefully – do not crush it.
- To get the fruit to develop its full aroma, just sugar it lightly or marinate it in grape liqueur. If you prefer a sweet punch, use sweet wines.
- Only add – well chilled – sparkling wine and mineral water just before you serve the punch. This way, you’ll keep it fizzing for that much longer.
- The ideal serving temperature for a punch is 5-8 °C, slightly cooler than for wine.
Do not add ice cubes to the punch. This will water it down. Best place the punch bowl inside a larger bowl filled with crushed ice.
And another thing: Once the punch is dwindling, do not top it up. It’s better to serve a good wine after the punch is finished.
Strawberry punch
Prepare a large plate full of fresh strawberries. Cut larger strawberries in half or quarter them. Sprinkle with sugar and let them sit for a while to release their juice. Alternatively, marinate the fruit in grape liqueur. Next, place fruit and juice in a punch bowl and let them steep in a little wine. Later, add 4-5 bottles of wine, such as well chilled rosé or Weißherbst. If possible, place the punch bowl on crushed ice. Just before serving, add a bottle of German Winzersekt and enjoy.
Peach punch
Peel 6-8 ripe peaches, cut them in half and remove the stones. Sprinkle the fruit pieces with sugar and let them steep. Next, add 3-4 bottles of wine, such as Riesling or Silvaner, and let the mixture steep for a couple of hours, preferably on ice. Just before serving, add a bottle of German Winzersekt for that zesty finishing touch.
Kumquat punch
Wash 15 kumquats in hot water, dry them and cut them into thin slices. Sprinkle with brown sugar and add a little wine, such as Pinot Gris or a mature Riesling. Let the mixture steep for a couple of hours, then top up with 2 bottles of wine and leave it to steep for some more time on ice. Just before serving, add a bottle of Winzersekt for that delightful sparkle.
How punch got its name
The German term for the refreshing summer cocktail made of wine and fruit is Bowle, derived from the English word “bowl”. Allegedly, the cocktail was invented by British colonial officers in India. To invigorate themselves and to overcome the sheer boredom of Colonial life, they got their Indian servants to create drinks for them that used at least five – or “punch” in Hindi – ingredients. Those were then served to the officers in a large “punchbowl”.
Thus the British started the fashion for punches in Europe in the 18th century. Initially reserved to nobility, drinking punch soon became a favourite pastime in bourgeois circles as well. The favourite drink of the 19th century high society later became the party craze of the 1950s. Today, the cocktail is becoming fashionable once again as an invigorating, fresh and fruity drink for the summer.
Do you know any other kind of punch than the traditional punch?
Besides the traditional punch like Cold Whisky Punch, Roman Punch, Ginger Punch,... for which spirits like brandy and whisky are used, you can also use grape wines to make a punch. How to make it? Find out in this article!
Varietals
with honey and thyme Goat's cheese tower
with honey and thyme
- 1 großer Apfel
- 1 Rolle Ziegenkäse
- 4 Scheiben Bacon
- 4 TL Honig
- 1 TL Thymian
- 4 Blätter Eichblattsalat
- frische Zweige Thymian zum Garnieren
- nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer
Preheat the grill to the highest setting.
Fry the bacon slices without fat in a non-stick frying pan until crispy and drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.
Wash the apple, core it with a corer and then cut it into four, approx. 1 cm thick slices. Slowly fry the apple slices in the remaining bacon fat until just cooked, using the tip of a knife to check the doneness. Place the apple slices in a lightly greased baking dish, sprinkle with thyme and place a crispy fried bacon slice on top of each one.
Divide the goat's cheese into 4 thalers and place one thaler on each apple slice, sprinkle with thyme again and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of honey.
Bake under the grill until the cheese is lightly browned.
Serve the goat's cheese and apple tartlets on a lettuce leaf or, if you prefer, on a bed of lettuce (add a honey-flavoured dressing)
- Dornfelder (halbtrocken & feinherb)
White asparagus with pancake strips Asparagus with "Kratzete"
White asparagus with pancake strips and champagne butter sauce.
- 1kg Weißer Spargel
- 200g Mehl
- 4 Eier
- 150ml Milch
- 1TL Butterschmalz zum Braten
- 2EL Butter
- 1 Zitrone
- 1 Prise Zucker
- 1-3 Schnittlauchröllchen zum Garnieren
- 1 Für die Soße:
- 150g Butter
- 50ml Sahne
- 50ml Sekt
- etwas Salz und Pfeffer
Mix the flour with the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt to make a smooth pancake batter. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, peel the asparagus and cook in salted water with 2 tbsp butter and a pinch of sugar until al dente. Drain well and keep warm.
<p
<p>Pour the pancake batter in batches into hot clarified butter
.
pour into hot clarified butter. When the underside is browned, use a fork to scrape into pieces. Finish frying until the pieces are golden yellow.
For the champagne-butter sauce, bring the cream to the boil, reduce slightly and stir in the cold pieces of butter (walnut-sized). Add the sparkling wine and season to taste with salt and pepper.
<p
<p>Arrange the asparagus on pre-warmed plates. Add the kratzete, drizzle with the sauce and garnish with chives.
<p
<p>Wine recommendation:
A mild and dry Gutedel or a delicate Kabinett wine from Riesling or Pinot Blanc.
- Gutedel (trocken)
- Riesling (brut)
- Pinot Gris (brut nature)
Asparagus harmonises perfectly with Silvaner Roasted asparagus with wild garlic and ribbon noodles
Roasted asparagus with wild garlic and ribbon noodles goes perfectly with Silvaner.
- 1kg weißer Spargel
- 1kg grüner Spargel
- 200g Butter
- 1 TL Zucker
- 2-4 EL Walnussöl
- 600g Tagliatelle
- 1 Prise Salz und Pfeffer
- 200 ml Schlagsahne
- 1 Spritzer Zitronensaft
- 8 Bärlauchblätter
Preparation:
Peel the asparagus (green asparagus only in the lower third), cut off the ends. Cut each spear in half lengthways and cut the halves in half. Cut the halves into 3 – 5 cm long pieces.
Heat the butter in a large pan, add the sugar. Caramelise briefly. Add the oil and asparagus and cook over a medium heat for approx. 10 mins. until al dente, tossing occasionally.
In the meantime, cook the tagliatelle in boiling salted water according to the pack instructions until al dente.
Pour the cream into the asparagus and reduce until creamy. Season the asparagus with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
Rinse the pasta, drain and mix with the asparagus. Cut the spring onions into strips and fold in.
Wine recommendation:
Silvaner Spätlese dry
- Silvaner (trocken)
to sweet selections Apple doughnuts with vanilla sauce
to sweet selections
- 5 große, säuerliche Äpfel
- 200 Gramm Mehl
- 2 Eier
- 250 ml Milch
- 2 EL Rum
- Nach Bedarf Schmalz oder Öl
- Nach Belieben Zimt, Zucker, Salz
Peel the apples and remove the core, cut into finger-thick, even slices. Drizzle with rum and sugar. Leave to infuse.
Stir the batter, it should be quite thick. Turn the apple rings in it and bake floating in hot fat until golden brown.
<p
<p>Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with cinnamon and sugar.
- Riesling (süß & edelsüß)
- Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)
