You don’t need a punch bowl: You can serve punch in a large pitcher. Photo courtesy Belvedere vodka.

Punch is easy to make. Essentially, five or so ingredients are mixed directly in the punch bowl or pitcher.

We have some tips, below, to make perfect punch. But first, here’s a quick look at the history of punch.

WHAT IS PUNCH?

Punch is a general term for a broad assortment of mixed drinks, made with or without alcohol. While punch generally contains fruit or fruit juice, fruit isn’t essential. An elegant punch bowl is not required: A pitcher is fine, and in many cases, it’s more practical.

Punch was discovered in India by the British sailors of the East India Company. The concept was brought to England in the early 17th century. From there it spread to other countries.

The word “punch” derives from the Hindi word, “panch.” In India, panch was made from five different ingredients: sugar, lemon, water, tea or spices and an alcoholic spirit. The word for “five” in Sanskrit is panchan; hence the name.
 
PERFECT PUNCH TIPS

1. PUNCH BOWL VS. PITCHER. Most people use a punch bowl so rarely, they don’t want to invest in one. But you can find inexpensive plastic punch bowls at party stores, which can be repurposed for salad and keeping other drinks on ice at other parties, picnics and barbeques. Here’s a handsome plastic punch bowl with a modern, squared-off shape.

2. GLASSES. You don’t need special punch cups; use rocks glasses or the plastic equivalent.

3. ALCOHOL VS. NO ALCOHOL If you’re having a mixed crowd—drinkers and non-drinkers—make the punch without alcohol and put bottles of alcohol with shot glasses and stirrers next to the punch bowl. Guests can add the amount of alcohol they like.

4. LARGE BLOCK OF ICE. For a punch bowl, block ice is the best option. It melts slowly, keeps the punch colder for longer and reduces the dilution. Here are two ways to make it (24 hours in advance):

5. TASTY ICE. If you don’t like your tap water, use spring water to make the ice.

6. CHILLED INGREDIENTS. Your punch will stay colder longer if you the ingredients—alcohol, soda, water—for several hours before serving. The more chilled the liquids, the less the ice will melt to cool down the punch.

7. ASSEMBLE ON THE TABLE. A full punch bowl is heavy to carry, and can slosh over the rim as you carry it. Do the smart thing and place the empty punch bowl on the serving table; then assemble the ingredients.

8. ADD BUBBLES AT THE END. If your recipe includes soda, sparkling wine or other carbonated beverage, add it at the last minute—ideally when the first guests arrive.

9. MAKE GARNISHES IN ADVANCE. Every punch bowl needs some garnish, at a minimum, citrus wheels. Mint sprigs or rosemary sprigs and berries add more visual interest. Except for berries, prepare the garnishes ahead of time (the day before is fine) and wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the punch. Berries should be rinsed shortly before serving.

You can make alcohol-free punch and let guests add their own. Photo courtesy GranGala.

10. REFRESH. If it’s a long event, you’ll need to refresh the punch. Sparkling punches will go flat after two hours or so; fully melted ice will dilute the punch. Have a second set of ingredients ready to assemble. Or, serve just half of the punch at the beginning of the party, and add the remainder later.
  

Lemon Tea vodka is ready to add pizzazz to
iced tea and lemonade. Photo courtesy
Belvedere Vodka.

A vodka flavor is not the same as “flavored vodka.” Vodka can be flavored with an extract, natural or artificial; or it can be infused or macerated (a longer process) with the actual botanicals (fruits, herbs, spices, etc.). Belvedere takes the long route and macerates for the finest natural flavor.

Meant to pair with iced tea and lemonade, Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka is a complex layering of black tea, green tea, chamomile, lemongrass, honey, ginger and lemon.

Unless you’re a supertaster, though, you won’t find all of that when you take a sip. Although the ingredients combine to provide the overall sensory experience, you’re more likely to find the nose and palate to be bright and citrussy, recalling lemon peel and perhaps a hint of orange (there’s no orange in the blend, but common chemical components evoke other aromas and flavors).

We enjoy more flavor-forward expressions, and found the Lemon Tea flavors to be light on the palate.

While we enjoyed the lemon peel aroma and taste while drinking shots, in a mixed drink—1.5 ounces in 6 ounces of tea or lemonade—the flavor contribution was not much different than we’d get with regular citrus vodka. (Although the citrus flavors do add a bit of pizzazz, if you’re not ready to buy a new bottle of vodka, you can also add plain vodka to iced tea or lemonade.)

The company says that Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka “is designed for afternoon enjoyment, whether you’re poolside, having a BBQ or enjoying a day at the beach.” (Nota bene: Many beaches in the U.S. prohibit the possession or consumption of alcohol.)

We like Belvedere Lemon Tea vodka for Mother’s Day gifting to moms who enjoy a spiked tea or lemonade. Two recipes—a cocktail and a punch—follow.

RECIPES WITH BELVEDERE LEMON VODKA

BELVEDERE PEACH TEA

Ingredients

For one drink:

 
Preparation

1. Build drink over cubed ice. Stir.

2. Garnish with a lemon wedge and sprig of mint and serve.

BELVEDERE SHANDY PUNCH

The Shandy is a popular summer drink, also known as an Arnold Palmer and a Half and Half. Here’s why, and the easy recipe to make a single drink rather than a punch bowl.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Add all ingredients to a large pitcher or a punch bowl and stir.

2. Chill overnight if possible. To serve, add a block of ice (or ice cubes, if a pitcher). Serve immediately.
 
A SIP OF BELVEDERE TRIVIA

Belvedere, a luxury brand of Polish vodka produced and distributed by LVMH, is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw. That’s the building illustrated on the vodka bottle (photo above).

Belvedere is a combination of the Italian words bello and vedere, meaning “beautiful” and “to see.” In architecture, a belvedere is a building, or an architectural feature of a building, designed and situated to look out upon a pleasing scene.

These sandwiches are fraternal triplets. The names were different depending on their origins, but all were initially hearty sandwiches of meat and cheese.

The hoagie, on a crusty, oblong roll (or a portion of a loaf of French or Italian bread), is piled high with Italian cold cuts or other lunch meats, provolone and perhaps another cheese. Garnishes typically include sweet and/or hot peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, oregano and a vinegar and olive oil dressing.

In Europe, this type of sandwich is known as a baguette or a ciabatta, after the type of bread used.
 
 
HOAGIE HISTORY

One of the prevailing explanations of the name “hoagie” is that it was introduced by Italian Americans working at the shipyard known as Hog Island, in southwest Philadelphia, during World War II. It became known as the “Hog Island sandwich,” which evolved to “hoagie.”

But the sandwich had earlier roots with New York Italians.

According to some food historians, the progenitor of the sandwich—but not the name—originated in the late 19th century to serve Italian laborers, who wanted the convenient lunch they had enjoyed in Italy.
 
 
WHAT ABOUT THE SUBMARINE SANDWICH?

It’s another name for the same type of sandwich. The submarine, or sub, has at least two claims to invention; plausibly, it may have occurred in both places.

The first location is Boston at the beginning of World War I, at a local restaurant that served Navy servicemen stationed at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The bread was a specially baked baguette intended to resemble the hull of the submarines after which it was named.

[1] A classic hoagie with Italian-style cold cuts. Photo courtesy Dietz & Watson.

[2] A gourmet sub/hoagie/hero with goat cheese, roasted vegetables and balsamic vinaigrette, from City Sandwich in New York City.

Conti’s granddaughter recounts that he was selling traditional Italian sandwiches made on long, crusty rolls, filled with cold cuts, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian herbs, spices, salt and pepper. The sandwich started with a layer of cheese and ended with a layer of cheese so the bread wouldn’t get soggy.

THE GRINDER? THE HERO?

The Grinder: Per Wikipedia, grinder is common term in New England that may have derived from Italian-American slang for a dock worker, among whom the sandwich was popular. Another claim is that it was called a grinder because it took a lot of chewing to eat the hard-crust bread.

Wikipedia also claims that in Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and parts of New England, grinder usually refers to a hot submarine sandwich (meatball or sausage, e.g.), whereas a cold cuts sandwich is called a submarine/sub [source].

The Hero: New York City called its version a hero sandwich, likely owing to its size and substance. The name is sometimes credited to New York Herald Tribune food writer Clementine Paddleford, who wrote (in the 1930s) that “you needed to be a hero to finish the gigantic Italian sandwich.”

Depending on the region, the sandwich is also called a po’ boy, torpedo, zeppelin and no doubt, other names.

Build yourself a gourmet hoagie to celebrate National Hoagie Day. Use these upgrades to the classic Italian deli meats, or create your own recipe.

 
We’re so hungry just thinking about it—we can’t wait until lunch.
  

It’s not too late to invite a few friends over for cocktails. Smack in the middle of Cocktail Hour is the Kentucky Derby.

You can keep it casual, but invite everyone to wear their most festive hats, Kentucky Derby-style.

Here are three recipes to go with the hats.

KENTUCKY DERBY COCKTAILS

 
And they’re off!

This year is the 20th anniversary of the jalapeño popper, a hot little nugget that enjoys a cold beer.

The original poppers were jalapeño chiles stuffed with cheese, battered and deep-fried—a spicy American snack version of the Mexican dish, chiles rellenos (stuffed bell peppers). They were created by McCain Foods for the restaurant/foodservice industry. You can find them in supermarket frozen foods aisles as Anchor Poppers.

Chefs and home cooks embraced poppers, and stuffing variations have expanded to include different cheeses, crabmeat, ground meat, chopped sautéed mushroom and whatever appeals to the cook (we like polenta and sausage). While restaurants tend to serve the battered and fried poppers, it’s easy—and less caloric—to grill them at home.

It’s A Snap!

The video below shows just how easy it is to grill jalapeños. The toughest part (and it isn’t tough) is scooping out the ribs and the seeds from whole jalapeños with the tops cut off, to create the vessel for filling.

To that end, this inexpensive jalapeño corer is a good investment. You can get one “free” when you buy a jalapeño roasting rack to set atop your grill (about $17.00 for both items).

You don’t need either to make the bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers in this video: Simply slice the chile in two, scoop, fill and use a raw bacon slice to wrap the two sides together. Fold in a foil packet and grill.

But if this is your type of food, the grilling rack speeds up the process—and is the green alternative to sending sheets of foil into the landfill.

More Ideas

Dip Or Sauce: Poppers don’t need a dip or a sauce, but people tend to like them. We combine melted pepper jelly with plain Greek yogurt. Salsa, marinara sauce or any favorite will do as well.

Cookbook: There’s also a cookbook for you: Jalapeño Poppers: and Other Stuffed Chili Peppers which has 100+ recipes, from jalapeño poppers to armadillo eggs to stuffed chili peppers galore.
Pop on!