Carawayed

Serves
makes 6-8 cocktails
Time
8 hours 15 minutes

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT TAYLOR-GROSS

Published on November 23, 2016

Chicago's Punch House manager Aaron "The Doctor" Minnes says, "This punch has fall written all over it. The spice combination of the rye, caraway and the chai masala are a match made in heaven for a punch, and the pear softens the whole experience. Caraway can be overpowering in a lot of drinks, however, in this punch, it's subtle,like a good bass line to sip along to."

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Ingredients

For the caraway-infused rye whiskey:

¹⁄₃ cup caraway seeds
2 ²⁄₃ cups rye

For the punch:

2 whole lemons (for oleo saccharum)
¹⁄₂ cup granulated sugar (for oleo saccharum)
5 oz. oleo saccharum
¹⁄₂ cup fresh lemon juice
1 ¹⁄₂ cups Masala chai tea, brewed
2 cups pear juice
1 oz. Angostura bitters
2 ²⁄₃ cups caraway-infused rye whiskey
Pear slices, as garnish

Instructions

Step 1

Make an oleo saccharum: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons. In a medium bowl, toss the zest with the sugar, cover, and let stand for 8 hours. Pour 1⁄2 cup boiling water into the bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the oleo saccharum through a fine sieve into a jar and discard the lemon zest. Oleo saccharum should yield about 6 ounces; if not, add water to reach that volume.

Step 2

Make the caraway-infused rye whiskey: In a non-reactive container with a lid, combine the caraway seed and rye whiskey. Cover and steep at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. Strain into a bottle.

Step 3

Combine oleo saccharum, pear and lemon juices, chai tea, Angostura bitters, and caraway-infused rye whiskey in a large punch bowl. Immediately before serving, add a few generous scoops of ice and garnish with pear slices.

Make an oleo saccharum: Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons. In a medium bowl, toss the zest with the sugar, cover, and let stand for 8 hours. Pour 1⁄2 cup boiling water into the bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the oleo saccharum through a fine sieve into a jar and discard the lemon zest. Oleo saccharum should yield about 6 ounces; if not, add water to reach that volume.
Make the caraway-infused rye whiskey: In a non-reactive container with a lid, combine the caraway seed and rye whiskey. Cover and steep at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. Strain into a bottle.
Combine oleo saccharum, pear and lemon juices, chai tea, Angostura bitters, and caraway-infused rye whiskey in a large punch bowl. Immediately before serving, add a few generous scoops of ice and garnish with pear slices.