2nd Annual Tis' the Season for a Holiday Punch Competition & Toy Drive

Mount Gay Black & Mount Gay Eclipse Rums

A night of good cheer began in Liberty's back room with proper punch bowl preparations; and a few drams of rum of course! However, for this event, not just any rum would do. This year's Holiday Punch Toy Drive required none other than Mount Gay Rum - a Bajan Rum from the oldest rum distillery of record. We join forces with our friends from Seattle Gin Society to raise a glass (actually four) of punch to raise money and toys for Toys For Tots. Wait, what? Enjoy four cups of hand-crafted rum and gin punches to help bring a smile to the face of a local area kid this holiday season?! Hell yes! Isn't that what everyone does at holiday parties? In the partying spirit of the lyrical song by Rihanna (who is also from Barbados), I'll drink to that!!

Guests arrive and two gin punches are served. Both of the gins are locally produced. Nice!

Gin Punch 1 & Gin Punch 2

For the gin punch recipes, see Seattle Gin Society Facebook page

 

The evening was filled with raffles. After a couple cups of gin punch, the mood was set.

Let the raffles begin!



Big Gin t-shirt & The Drunken Botanist

Bajan Rum Punch seems to flow from the punch bowl naturally and the guests line-up to have their glasses garnished with freshly graded nutmeg courtesy of Keith Waldbauer, co-owner of Liberty. Oh yeah!

 

Rum Punch 1 & Rum Punch 2

 The first rum punch recipe that was used came from our friend, Matthew Robold's (a.k.a. Rumdood) site, where it was mentioned as "outstanding" in a Competition using Mount Gay Rums in 2009.  

 

Rum Punch 1: Antigua Blue Devil's Punch
by Alex Sadowsky

 

(single serving)

1.5oz Mount Gay Extra Old Rum

0.5oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum

2oz chunks of pineapple

0.5oz lime juice (fresh pressed)

0.5oz grenadine syrup

1 tsp raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara)

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

2oz Champagne

Garnish: nutmeg (freshly grated)

 

Preparation: muddle pineapple, rum and sugar until puree. Stir in lime juice, grenadine and bitters, strain and chill. Add large ice block and garnish each cup with nutmeg prior to serving.

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The second rum punch recipe came from a book close to our heart. It's titled, Punch: The Delight (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl, written by David Wondrich, one of the world's leading authorities on punches and cocktail history in general. If you haven't a copy in your library, its time you do so...
 

Rum Punch 2: David Wondrich's Classic Rum and Brandy Punch
(rum and brandy were modified for this event)
 

 

(approximately ~ 30 servings)

Peels of 4 lemons

1 cup of raw sugar (Turbinado or Demerara)

8oz lemon juice (fresh pressed)

6oz Mount Gay Black Rum

2oz Mount Gay Eclipse Rum

24oz Metaxa 5 Stars Brandy

40oz cold water

Garnish: nutmeg (freshly grated)

 

Preparation; Muddle lemons, sugar well and let sit for a few hours. Add and stir in all other ingredients, set to chill. Add in a large ice block and garnish each cup with nutmeg prior to serving.

 

 



Mount Gay swag made the raffles a hit. Not to mention each winner received a photograph with the Marines. You know what they say about men in uniform!

 

Rum Raffle 1: Mount Gay Rum gear

 

Nice smile Kat!

 

Captain Peter Brown,  Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Symons, Master Sergeant Jorge E. Castillon
Rum Raffle Winner: Kat Cabell

 

There were also two silent auctions amidst the roaring punch drinking crowd.

The first was Big Gin...

 

 Big Gin Bottle and Bag

 

 

The second silent auction was Mount Gay Black Rum...

 

Captain Peter Brown and Master Sergeant Jorge E. Castillon
Silent Auction Winner: Minna Hong

 

Overall the event was a success! We raised $500 plus 15 toys for local area children, doubling our donation from our event last year.

Awesome!!

 

Marines with the Donations
Captain Peter Brown, Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Symons and Master Sergeant Jorge E. Castillon

 

A big round of applause to everyone who came out to raise a glass for a good cause.

 

A sincere thank you to the Marines and Toys for Tots organization for their service and dedication to helping give each child a special Christmas every year.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Addendum: Readers note, in reporting fairness, I will mention the winning punch was Gin Punch 2. There was open voting with poker chips provided (and sold). Despite the relatively low turnout among The Rum Collective, many gin drinkers preferred the rum punches. The competition was all in good fun to help support the cause. For all who raised a glass, we all know the Antigua Blue Devil's Punch was superior!

Until Next Year...