The recent addition of Polish and Lithuanian shops to Ireland’s retail sector has been rather wonderful. Not only are we now able to access the most delicious smoked sausages and pierogi, but they always have a wicked selection of juices, teas and purées, such as the concentrated plum juice and camomile tea called for here. And while you’re there, make sure to pick up some of the aforementioned pierogi for soakage.
Makes 18 x 200ml serves
150g caster sugar
5 lemons
100g loose camomile tea
500ml boiling water
1 cucumber, sliced
2 litres concentrated plum juice (or pear juice if you can’t get plum)
1 x 700ml bottle of Shortcross Irish Gin
½ x 750ml bottle of Martini Extra Dry Vermouth
ice cubes
Put the sugar in a saucepan. Remove the peels from the lemons and drop them into the sugar. Squeeze the juice from the lemons, add that to the pan and stir for a few seconds before adding the tea and boiling water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then add half of the cucumber slices. Cover the pan with a lid and let it all infuse for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
Put a fine mesh sieve on top of your punch bowl. Pour the contents of the pan through the sieve to strain out the solids. Add the plum juice, gin and vermouth. Stir it all up with some ice.
For each serve, fill a wine glass with ice, ladle in about 200ml of the punch and garnish each one with a cucumber slice added right in the glass.
From Irish Kitchen Cocktails by Oisín Davis
