New Year's Day Punch
Southerners are known for punches and this one from Petersburg, VA is typical. The recipe came from a cookbook published many years ago by Christ and Grace Episcopal Church. The tea should be made using 6 tsp. black tea and 2 tsp. green tea.
DIRECTIONS
- Place the lemon peels in a bowl and pour the boiling tea over them. Squeeze the lemon juice over the sugar. When the tea is cool, strain out the lemon peels and combine with the sugar-lemon juice. Add the rum. If you wish you can stop here and bottle this mixture which will keep in a cool place indefinitely. When ready to serve the punch, add the gin and the sparkling water. Serve over a large block of ice or 1 quart of crushed ice, if desired.