4 Charles Punch Recipe

Juice fruits

Juice fresh grapefruits until you have approximately 10 fl oz of grapefruit juice. Juice limes until you have 3 fl oz of fresh lime juice. Strain both juices through a fine mesh sieve to remove pulp and seeds.

Combine spirits and syrups

In a large mixing pitcher or measuring container, combine 10 fl oz El Dorado rum and 6 fl oz light rum. Add 2 fl oz orgeat syrup and 2 fl oz simple syrup. Stir gently to integrate.

Add juices and bitters

Add the strained grapefruit juice and lime juice to the rum-syrup mixture. Add 12 dashes of Angostura bitters. Stir thoroughly to combine all components.

Dilute and chill

Pour the punch base into a chilled punch bowl. Add 10 fl oz cold water (or chilled club soda if you prefer a fizzy punch) to reach proper dilution and balance. Stir gently to mix. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity: add up to 1 fl oz more simple syrup for sweetness, or up to 0.5 fl oz more lime juice for brightness.

Add ice and garnish

Add 1.5–2 lbs of ice to the punch bowl to chill (reserve some ice for individual glasses if desired). Float grapefruit and lime wheels across the surface and tuck in mint sprigs for aroma and visual appeal.

Ladle the punch into chilled punch cups or rocks glasses filled with fresh ice. Make sure each serving gets a piece of grapefruit or lime and a mint sprig. If you used still water, offer a bottle of chilled club soda at the table for guests who want a fizzier pour.

Estimated serving size is about 6–8 (see servings). Stir the punch gently between servings to keep it well mixed and aromatic.