Punch Bowls are back with a vengeance at The Flowing Bowl as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine festival 2017. Cocktail consultant Shaun Byrne made a splash at this sold out event in conjunction with Enoteca Sileno.
Tonight, I was reintroduced to the art of making delicious punch; not the homemade version of five parts alcohol and two parts canned fruit juice, but rather the real thing of an elegant blend of spirits, liqueurs and infusions.
The owners of Enoteca Sileno and Shaun made us feel very welcome, and our tastebuds were quickly enticed by a refreshing glass of sparkling wine to get us in the mood. Shaun delighted us with tales of punch making, enshrining some of the golden rules like: punch is a social drink to be had with friends and for this reason you should never pour yourself a glass.
The key to a well balanced punch is: five parts weak; four parts strong; three parts sour; two parts sweet and one part bitter. Another great tip is to use a block of ice rather than multiple ice cubes so the ice does not water down the punch.
With the history and basics under our belt, we jumped straight into the making and tasting of the punch that uses a wide selection of spirits, liqueurs and amaro by Italian brands Varnelli, Bepi Tosolini, Lucrezio R. and Rossa Sicily.
First up, Sean made ‘St Clement’s Punch’, a citrus based punch for those endless summer days. The next one made great use of tea as part of the blend – called ‘Mediterranean Tea Punch’, which had a real tang to it. We then had the ‘Citrus Milk Punch’ – that was made of milk – well just the whey of it, giving the citrus a very delicate texture. This was followed by my favourite ‘Cherry d’Acqui’, which had a lot of challenging flavours. Finally, to top off the night, a hot chocolate punch ‘Apres Ski Warm Punch’, just perfect for those freezing Melbourne nights.
Now all I have to do is go to my parents’ place to raid their cupboards for the punch bowls of my youth.
– Angela
Angela is a lover of life and all things punch.
Enoteca Sileno runs a cooking school and sells Italian food and wine. The venue is accessible.
The Melbourne Food & Wine Festival runs 31 March to 9 April 2017. Many venues are accessible.
