Happy Thanksgiving! Although it has been quieter lately around Summit Sips.com, we have big plans in the coming months to share more great cocktails, reviews and vintage items. But before we show you what we have been making this week we have an announcement to make about the Summit Sips store.

Summit Sips Vintage Barware
Summit Sips recently opened a vintage barware store on Etsy.com. The Etsy marketplace is a fantastic resource for art and vintage/antique items for sale, and we finally added some of our collection to the mix. Sometimes just a handful of items are available in our Etsy shop but you can also click the SHOP link in the menu above for our local Summit Sips storefront!

Thanksgiving Cocktails
Today, we are bringing a half batch of Philadelphia Fish House Punch to the Thanksgiving festivities. The recipe for this and other group-format cocktails can be found on this post, but we wanted to take you through some of the service details to explain how we plan to share our creation.

The punch recipe starts with peeling a dozen lemons. We did this over a week ago, adding a pound of sugar to the peels and sealing them in a vacuum bag. This lazy approach saves the effort you might spend muddling, and once the oils begin to transform the sugar into a paste you can simply toss the whole thing into the freezer. We also squeezed the lemons, filtered out the pulp and froze the juice too. Then, last night, we thawed half of the lemon peel/sugar mixture and two-thirds of the lemon juice. Building the punch itself took about 15 minutes. With the batch ready to go, we stored it in the refrigerator overnight to chill and allow the flavors to combine.

Decorative Ice
Ok, so we need to rewind a couple of days for an important addition. Our punch will be served from a spigot decanter and it needs to be chilled. To pull that off, we like to make a festive ice chunk. This time, we simply took our shaker tin, lined the bottom and sides with slices of lemon, then added crushed ice and cubes to hold the slices in place before filling in the gaps with water. Freeze this and you have a wonderful chunk of ice. Yesterday, we took the tin out of the freezer and allowed it to warm up a bit so the lemon ice could slip out of the “mold”.

To serve the punch, we have a big glass jar with a spigot that we sometimes use for making infusions or Nocino. We are also bringing a set of punch cups so our host isn’t scrambling for glassware. To top it off, we are bring a nutmeg grater to add the fresh spice to the top. Nothing beats freshly ground nutmeg on this recipe.

Other Seasonal Recipe Ideas
This time of year, apples are often abundant, so we like to make the Apple Smash cocktail. It looks great and tastes even better. With cranberries in season too, give the Boston Bog a try.