No interest in Harry Potter? Scroll down for the recipe...
If you know me outside of this blog, you know that I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan. We probably don't need to get into the details (which may or may not include a Harry wig) but it should come as no surprise to you that I am very excited for tomorrow's midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part One.
Lauren is a huge HP fangirl too, so when we were reunited this past weekend, we decided to make up for the fact that we won't be seeing film #7 together by throwing a viewing party for film #6.
Lauren whipped up some delicious pumpkin pasties (pumpkin whoopie pies in our muggle world) to serve in addition to our dragon scales (yellow and blue tortilla chips) and troll boogies (guac). And then she set up this impressive candle-lit spread:
I put myself in charge of beverages and decided that a cauldron of Felix Felicis potion would be quite appropriate for the occasion.
Since the potion needed to be gold, the "Bourbon Ginger Snap" punch recipe I poached from my mom's December issue of Real Simple seemed like the perfect choice. Also, I'm obsessed with ginger drinks right now...
Here's the recipe:
Citrus & Ginger Punch
Real Simple calls this "Bourbon Ginger Snap" punch. The bourbon part is good but I think the term "gingersnap" is misleading. There's nothing sugary about this punch and really, citrus is the dominate flavor, not ginger. That's why I'm calling it "Citrus & Ginger Punch". Also, don't be scared about the bourbon. I'm a gin and vodka girl through and through but I could handle the bourbon just fine.
Also, the recipe from Real Simple was for 20. We were only serving 6 so I halved the recipe. Go ahead and double it if you need too.
Ok, let's get to it.
What You'll Need:
- 1/2 liter Bourbon
- Fresh ginger
- 2 lemons
- 6 oranges (or orange juice if you don't have juicer handy)
- Honey
- 2 cans of Kerns pear nectar (or peach or whatever you can find)
- Water
- Ice
Step 1: Peel and slice 3 inches of fresh ginger.
Use the back of a spoon. Really, it works.
(Those are Nick's man-hands not my lady ones, just fyi.)
Step 3: Juice the lemons. You'll need 1/2 cup.
Step 2: Heat sliced ginger, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup honey, and 1 quart of water.
In a large saucepan, bring the above ingredients to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Strain ginger/lemon/honey mixture. Let cool.
Step 4: Juice the oranges. You'll need 3 cups.
Step 5: Combine cooled ginger/lemon/honey mixture with 3 cups of orange juice, 2 cups pear nectar, and 1/2 liter of bourbon.
Step 6: Serve over ice.
Enjoy!
