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Libations: Punching up Friends-giving

Rose Anna Laudicina

The Hippocras Punch

• 1.5L white wine (rather dry and fruity) - 2 bottles

• 17 oz Hendrick’s Gin – ½ bottle

• 15 oz Chamomile tea

• ½ Pineapple chopped

• 0.8 pound of caster sugar

• 6 cloves

• 3 cinnamon sticks

• 6 orange peels

• 1 teaspoon of white pepper

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients in a small pot and simmer gently for 20/30 minutes. Pour into a teapot and serve hot in teacups adding a piece of pineapple in each

In my pre-Aspen life, I didn’t care much for Thanksgiving.

My mom doesn’t really like turkey or leftovers, so growing up Thanksgiving was treated as a less important holiday where my family would typically go out to eat.

But now that I’m in Aspen, I have a lot to be excited about surrounding Thanksgiving and, to be honest, I’m already looking forward to the holiday.

Besides the fact that opening day for Aspen Mountain and Snowmass is scheduled for Nov. 28 (provided they don’t open early), I’ve started to feed off others’ enthusiasm for the holiday in this town and have discovered just how fun Friends-giving can be.

In fact, I’m anticipating this year’s Turkey Day so much so that I’ve started plotting when I’m going to do trial runs of the new recipes I’m making for Friends-giving this year. (All the food websites I frequent recommend testing new recipes before making them for a crowd, so after one of the pies I made last year didn’t turn out, I’m going to take the recommendation.)


One recipe I’m extra excited to test early is for a festive libation called The Hippocras Punch.

According to Wikipedia, Hippocras is a drink made from wine that is steeped with sugar and spices and originated in the Roman Empire. The drink was also the inspiration for sangria.

This rendition from the good folks over at Hendrick’s Gin takes the drink into a punch format, which is perfect to keep a Thanksgiving crowd happy, and adds my personal liquor favorite: gin, of course.

“This hot punch is the perfect fall drink to share with friends and family at your next holiday party,” said Sebastien Derbomez, the national brand ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin and a recognizable face in Aspen from events such as the Apres Ski Cocktail Classic. “Combining white wine, spices, orange peels and exotic pineapple with our lovely Hendrick’s botanicals, this warm beverage is guaranteed to surprise and delight your guests!”

Since The Hippocras Punch is served warm, it seems just right for those coming from the mountain to the dinner table.

Additionally, I think it would work well during pre-turkey dinner appetizers or after the main feast as the herbs in Hendrick’s Gin, specifically juniper berries, can aid in digestion, which means more room for dessert.

The flavor profile of the punch, according to Derbomez, “is light and fruity with a hint of spice,” and sounds like a perfect accompaniment for any flavor that comes with a Thanksgiving meal.

The ingredients will be easy to source in Aspen, so I think the most difficult part of making this is going to be finding someone who has a punch bowl that I can borrow …

Aspen Times Weekly

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