Our Six Favorite Hot Gin Punch Recipes
Check out the winning recipes from our Hot Gin Punch Tournament created by six talented bartenders.
Who wants to go on an amazing journey across Alaska? Well, as it turns out, a ton of bartenders do!
This fall, we asked professional bartenders to enter their signature hot gin punch recipe and a great story in our Hot Gin Punch Tournament, which is sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin. The prize for the top six finishers was a trip to Alaska. We received dozens of submissions from across the country.
Our head judges, Half Full columnists and award-winning writers David Wondrich and Wayne Curtis, diligently went through each of the entries and picked their top six drinks. This winter, these talented bartenders are going with Half Full and Hendrick’s Gin to Alaska for a trip of a lifetime.
Check out the winning recipes below and mix up these delicious hot gin punches today!
INGREDIENTS:
- 16.5 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 2.75 oz Lemon juice
- 5.5 oz Dewatsuru Junmai Nigori Sake
- 8 oz Tarragon satsuma oleo saccharum *
- 44 oz Water
- 6 Ceylon Orange Pekoe Black Tea bags
- Garnish: Dehydrated satsuma wheel and a fresh sprig of tarragon
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the water in a pot until it is boiling. Turn off the heat and add the Ceylon Orange Pekoe Black Tea. Brew for 3 minutes and remove the tea bags. Add the rest of the ingredients. Strain the entire mixture through a cheesecloth. Heat the mixture to 180 degrees and garnish it with a dehydrated satsuma wheel and a fresh sprig of tarragon.
*Tarragon Satsuma Oleo Saccharum
Take the peels from five pounds of satsumas and combine with one pound of sugar. Muddle and let sit for 12 hours, agitating as much as possible until the sugar melds completely with the satsuma oils and becomes a syrup. Separate the peels from the syrup. Measure out eight ounces of satsuma oleo and pour into a Vitamix. Add the leaves of eight stalks of tarragon and blend.
INGREDIENTS:
- 14 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 12 oz Semi-dry Riesling wine
- 6.5 oz Lapsang Souchong & Rosemary Hot Tea
- 5 oz Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur
- 3.5 oz fresh Orange juice
- 3.5 oz Russian Caravan Tea Brown Sugar Simple Syrup*
DIRECTIONS:
Add all the ingredients to a punch bowl and stir.
*Russian Caravan Tea Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
Made with Russian Caravan Tea in a 1-to-10 ounce ratio with equal parts water and brown sugar. Steep the tea in the hot water for about six minutes and then add the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
INGREDIENTS:
- 17 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 11 oz Balsam Sweet Vermouth
- 5.5 oz Lulo oleo saccharum*
- 33 oz Hot water
- Garnish: Discarded blood orange peel and edible flower
DIRECTIONS:
Add all the ingredients to a tea pot. Garnish each cup with a discarded blood orange peel and an edible flower.
*Home-made Lulo Oleo saccharum
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup Sugar in the raw
- 2 Lulos (Solanum quitoense)
- 1 whole Lemon peel
- 1 whole Blood orange peel
- 8 Sage leaves
- 4 Cinnamon sticks
- 3 Cardamom pods
- 2 Star anise pods
- pinch Nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
Add all the ingredients to a container and let sit for 24 hours. Strain and pour into a clean container. This yields about 4.5 ounces.
INGREDIENTS:
- 18 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 9 oz Pecan syrup*
- 6 oz Lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp Pumpkin butter
- 6 oz Over-proof demerara rum
- 12 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 48 oz Hot water
- Garnish: Cinnamon sticks, star anise and lemon and orange peels studded with clove
DIRECTIONS:
Add the demerara rum to a cauldron over a low flame and ignite. Sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon over the flames. In a separate pre-heated pitcher, combine all the other ingredients and stir to incorporate. Into the cauldron, pour the boiling water and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, star anise and lemon and orange peels studded with clove. Serve in individual sugar pumpkins.
*Pecan Syrup
Add chopped pecans to a pan and toast. Then add two parts sugar and water (all by weight) to 1- part pecans and stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, let cool and allow to sit overnight. Strain the mixture and reserve the liquid.
INGREDIENTS:
- 750 ml Hendrick’s Gin
- 720 ml Rose and Tulsi Tea*
- 375 ml White Port Wine
- 120 ml Lemon-Orange Oleo Saccharum**
- 30 ml Lemon Juice
- 2 Lemons and 2 Blood Oranges, sliced into wheels
- Garnish: Grated Nutmeg, Rose Petals and Scottish Sea Salt
DIRECTIONS:
Light the fire (or turn on heat) under a large cast iron pot. Add all the ingredients to the pot. Stir, and when warm ladle out individual cups. Garnish with a grated nutmeg, rose petals, and Scottish sea salt.
*Rose and Tulsi Tea
Combine 7 grams of Rose and Tulsi dried tea with 720 ml of just-boiling water. Allow to steep for 4 minutes. Strain.
**Lemon-Orange Oleo Saccharum
Combine the zest of 4 lemons and 2 oranges with 350 grams of white sugar in a cryovac bag. Remove air and macerate for 24 hours, massaging occasionally. Strain.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3.5 cups Hendrick’s Gin
- 3.5 cups Water
- 3 oz Glenfiddich Scotch Whisky
- 2 Comice pears, cored and chopped
- 6 oz fresh Blackberries
- 6 oz fresh Raspberries
- 3 Tbsp Rosehips, dried
- 3 Tbsp Blood orange marmalade
- 6-7 Allspice berries
- juice of half a Lemon
DIRECTIONS:
Add all of the ingredients, except the lemon juice to a heavy bottom pot and bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the juice of half of a lemon and stir to combine. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into your favorite teapot. Serve in your best teacups with a selection of dried orange slices, fresh lemon slices, and Rosehip-infused Hendrick’s sugar roses.*
*Rosehip-Infused Hendricks Sugar Roses
Add 2 teaspoons dried rosehips to 3 teaspoons of Hendrick’s Gin, cover and allow to sit overnight. Add half a cup granulated sugar to a food processor, through a fine-mesh strainer pour the Rosehip-infused Hendrick’s over the sugar. Pulse the food processor several times until Hendrick’s is incorporated into the sugar and no clumps remain. Pack the sugar into your favorite mold and allow to dry for several hours, but overnight is best. Store in a dry, sealed container until ready for use.