Hotspots around the Southeast bring spirits to the holidays with their seasonal punch bowls
Punch, served via the family heirloom cut-crystal bowl or more modern vessels, has found its way onto bar menus in a post-COVID world. Leaning fully into the holiday season, Harold’s Cabin in Charleston serves its aged eggnog by the punch bowl for a recommended six guests cozied up in an igloo outside. By the time guests order, this season’s two batches of ‘nog will have been fermenting for more than six months and a year, offering options to serious connoisseurs.
In Greenville, North Carolina, new restaurant Julep quickly added a seasonally changing Brunch Punch to its weekend offerings for various reasons, including the ability to use surplus fruit and herbs and save time during their busy brunch service. And because bartenders ladle and add spirits to order, Julep’s Brunch Punch is an ideal and flexible non-alcoholic option for all ages.
“Our presentation, sitting out bar center in our vintage footed punch bowl garnished with fresh herbs, florals, and dried fruit wheels, draws its own crowd,” say Julep co-owners Luke and Brittany Owens. “The punch will always stay true to the season, and guests love the element of surprise each week.”
Closer to home, Swordfish Cocktail Club‘s seasonal drink brings its own punch. “It’s the fajita effect,” says Evan Leihy, co-owner of the cocktail club in downtown Greenville. When explaining the punch bowl option on the menu, Leihy references the sizzling phenomenon of a scorching cast iron overflowing with seared meat and veggies passing through a dining room.
“What is that?” guests will ask as Swordfish’s filled and garnished two-liter brandy glass, rum floater aflame, is ferried via silver platter to a nearby booth and sipped through glass straws. The inquiry often leads to either an immediate order or a future reservation.
Swordfish’s rum-based and citrus-adorned No. 3 Punch is to a cocktail bar what a family-style dish is to a restaurant. The punch is designed for sharing between two to six guests because of the alcohol volume, and the recipe changes seasonally with moods and freshest ingredients.
Seasonal Punch Bowls Recipe: Harold’s Cabin Egg Nog
Serves 8-12
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 1 lb sugar
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pint half and half
- 1 pint whole milk
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 cup Jamaican rum
- 1 cup cognac
- 1 cup bourbon
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Preparation
- Separate the eggs and store the whites for another application.
- Beat the yolks with the sugar and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl until the mixture lightens in color and falls off the whisk in a solid ribbon.
- Combine dairy, rum, cognac, bourbon, and salt in a second bowl or pitcher, and then slowly beat into the egg mixture.
- Move to a large container and store for a minimum of 2 weeks.
- Serve chilled with fresh nutmeg grated on top.
