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  I wanted to write a few words about my experiments with Punch. As the tagline suggests, Summit Sips is about exploring the mysteries of mixology. Whether or not you like the word “mixology”, I don’t advocate consumption of alcoholic beverages to get “drunk”. I see it more as a culinary pursuit to find a balance of flavors and to pair ingredients in unique (or sometimes classic) ways. Semantics aside, there’s always the benefit of five o’clock refreshment, and sometimes the goal is to lubricate the social gears of a party to stimulate mingling and conversation. In any case, Punch is a great way to explore exotic flavor combinations.
Punch is a borrowed word from the Hindi panch which itself came from the Persian word paantch meaning five, to represent the five typical ingredients in this early beverage: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water and tea or spices. It was brought back to Britain from India in the early 1600s. In fact, punch is arguably one of the first mixed alcoholic drinks to enjoy widespread popularity. Before the American cocktail came on the scene, punch was king.
It’s actually pretty easy to make a punch so potent that it goes just a little too far. Case in point was my own Summit Sips Punch for Grand Old Day. If you wanted to enjoy more than one glass, you had to plan to stay awhile—it really packed a p–, er, I mean, it really packed a wallop! Although I was reproducing a riff on a historic recipe, you can probably guess that the more booze you add, the stronger it gets. However, the harder point to master is achieving good balance, and with punch, that can be tricky when you are combining so many ingredients. Of course, I’m not talking about making “garbage can punch” from your college party days where everyone brings fruit and booze to be dumped into a huge vat for mass consumption. Nor is this about mixing up a batch of Tahitian Treat and pouring in some rum and Sprite. No, we will make a respectable punch—one you can mix for a single guest or something you can build in larger batches to serve at a formal gathering or a dinner party. But how can we ensure a result that’s reasonably strong, balanced, and delicuous?
Fortunately, there’s a memorable little rhyme that can help. It comes from the August 8, 1908 edition of the New York Times which contained an article with the recipe for Planter’s Punch, but the basic framework of ingredients works for just about anything:
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  This week I am featuring a cocktail that has been a long time coming and usually ranks as a favorite among cocktail enthusiasts. Actually, I posted the original recipe for this cocktail last year, but this version is a little more accessible. In fact, it includes one of the first homemade ingredients I ever made. Once you’ve whipped up a batch of special syrup, you can finally mix the Drink Of The Week, the delicious Mai Tai.
Trends come and go, and this was certainly the case with the Polynesian tiki craze of the 1950s. However, in the current mixolgy movement there is plenty of room for tropical cocktails, and with so many rums and other ingredients available, tiki culture is bigger than ever! And why shouldn’t it be? Tiki cocktails are among the most complex, most ambitious, and most flavorful concoctions out there. Multiple rums in one drink, unusual homemade syrups, fruit juices and exotic garnishes are all part of the game—but with all of these options both old and new, the Mai Tai is still the big kahuna.
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 Inspired by Doug’s Pegu Blog, this week’s Drink Of The Week is a classic that has gained some momentum in recent years. The Pegu Club Cocktail originated at the Pegu Club (naturally) in Myanmar (Burma). The club was built in the 1880′s as a Victorian-styled gentleman’s club to serve the British colonials of the day. Of course, the club itself is long gone, but we do have the cocktail which has inspired more folks than just Doug. In New York City, a different Pegu Club was recently established, paying tribute to this great drink with their name. The New York Pegu Club has also played an important role in the current cocktail revival.
I am going to say it right off the bat: It’s a gin cocktail. Now that we have it out in the open and before you run for the hills, think about this: How can a drink survive
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 Chimp In Orbit, huh? This ought to be good! I admit, it’s a really odd name for a drink. So, why monkeys in space?
This week in history. . .
I was researching this week in history and found a few things that seemed thematic to me, although not every story has a good ending. First, on this day in 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. I know, it’s not a happy event, and it’s certainly not an image most of us will forget. So, let’s just get the sad stuff out of the way first. In the coming week on February 1, 2003, the world watched in shock and disbelief as the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart on re-entry. Again, it’s another sad day for the space program. Meaning no disrespect to those brave spacefarers who lost their lives, there were a couple positive achievements that also occurred.
January 31st marks the anniversary of the 1971 Apollo 14 launch, the third mission to land men on the moon. This anniversary coincides with the launch in 1961 (here it comes) that sent a chimpanzee named Ham into space! Is it a crazy excuse to feature this drink? Well, that’s not all! In addition to the space references, the tropical nature of this cocktail is represented in history by the TV show, Fantasy Island which first aired on January 28, 1978. Finally, this day is also Elijah Wood’s birthday. I know, Frodo was a hobbit, not a chimp, but it’s close enough.
Ok, enough with the goofy historical references—let’s get to the drink.
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  These days, not many people can justify spending $100 on a bottle of wine, and for most of us, even $20 is enough to feel pretty uncomfortable. The same goes for cocktails. While retail establishments might offer drink specials to keep customer’s “happy” to spend an “hour” or more after work, it’s no surprise that the rest of us are spending more time drinking at home. So, how can the mixologist save even more when trying to build up a home stock? The short answer: Rum.
Retail Comparison
First, you need to consider the fact that bars and restaurants provide a lot more than just a markup on cocktails—they offer a service that includes mixing the drink (sometimes with expert precision), serving it in appropriate glassware, fancy garnishes, and an unbeatable selection of spirtits, modifiers and mixers that can be hard to match when you stay at home. Of course, they also clean up after your done! Clearly, there’s value in all of it, but if you like mixing cocktails yourself, you already take on that extra work and may find your limitations are inventory-related.
Stocking Your Liquor Cabinet
According to industry trends, hard alcohol makers may be immune to the price crunch due to brand loyalty. Customers are still willing to pay the established price for their favorite whiskey or gin—perhaps because it’s always cheaper to buy a bottle for home consumption than to buy a bottle’s worth of cocktails at a bar. Expanding your cocktail repertoire requires you to build your own inventory, but how do you do it on a budget? I recommend starting with a cocktail you love to drink, research recipes and buy the ingredients for it. Learn to make that one drink until you are ready to move on. Then, on whatever schedule fits your pocketbook, try another cocktail to add another spirit or liqueur to your cabinet. Over time, you’ll have a nice inventory and a good selection of cocktails to offer guests.
 Directions To Grow
Once you have your favorites or a few classics under your belt, where do you grow from there? With so many bottles to choose from, there’s always a better version of your favorite spirit to try, or an unusual liqueur or amaro you may have missed, but some enthusiasts (and bar managers) are turning toward rum. Yes, that’s right. Good old rum. You might say that rum has earned something a reputation as the forgotten spirit.
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