Charles Dickens' Punch Recipe
A warm Victorian punch of two rums and cognac over lemon peel rubbed with sugar — rich, citrusy and fragrant with nutmeg.
- Category: Popular
- Glass: Irish coffee mug
- ABV: 15%
- Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
- Aged rum25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Dark Jamaican rum25 ml (0.8 oz)
- Cognac20 ml (0.7 oz)
- Fresh lemon juice15 ml (0.5 oz)
- Sugar3 tsp
- Lemon peel1 piece
- Hot water80 ml (2.7 oz)
How to Make It
- Muddle the lemon peel with the sugar in a heatproof mug until the sugar is fragrant and damp.
- Add both rums and the cognac and stir to start dissolving the sugar.
- Pour in the hot water and the lemon juice and stir until the sugar is gone.
- Grate fresh nutmeg over the top.
Garnish
Grated nutmeg
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel.
The technique
Muddling. Fruit, herbs or sugar get pressed at the bottom of the glass. With leaves like mint the goal is to press, not to shred: two or three pushes is plenty, more releases chlorophyll and turns the drink grassy and bitter. Sugar and firm fruit, on the other hand, really do get crushed.
Glass and ice
A handled, thick-walled Irish coffee mug. Built for hot drinks: the handle protects your hand and the thick glass holds the heat. Warming it with hot water first noticeably changes the first sip.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Aged rum
- Aged rum. The barrel gives it a tannin and oak character close to whiskey's; it is smooth enough to drink neat, which is why the drinks built on it keep the ingredient list short.
- Dark Jamaican rum
- Jamaican rum is set apart by the banana-and-pineapple note called funk, which comes from long fermentation and cannot be faked with another rum. It is where tiki drinks get their character.
- Cognac
- Brandy distilled from grapes in the Cognac region of France. VS is young and lively, VSOP rounder; in a cocktail VS is plenty, since VSOP's finesse disappears in the mix.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Freshly squeezed lemon; one lemon gives 30-40 ml. It can swap with lime, but lemon is softer and less aromatic, so use a touch more.
- Sugar
- Granulated sugar. It dissolves badly in a cold drink, so either muddle it with a few drops of water first or turn it into syrup to begin with.
The Story
Based on the punch Charles Dickens described in an 1847 letter and liked to make for guests, setting the spirits alight before adding boiling water. Scaled here from a bowl to one mug.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Charles Dickens' Punch mixed?
- It is muddled and served in an Irish coffee mug.
- How strong is a Charles Dickens' Punch?
- Roughly 15% ABV as served — right around a glass of wine — an aperitif or an early-evening drink.
- Can a Charles Dickens' Punch be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Charles Dickens' Punch hard to make?
- Moderate. A shaker or mixing glass plus a strainer covers it.
759 recipes in your pocket
Cocktails and mocktails from 55 countries — ingredients, steps and the story behind each drink. Works offline too.
Similar recipes
Collections
Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.