Arturo Olmos for The Wall Street Journal
Claret Cup
Cups are wine-forward drinks often served in a pitcher or punch bowl. Inspired by recipes in “The Federation Cook Book” (1910) and “The American Waiter” (1914), this cup starts with claret, aka a red-wine blend; Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot work well here, too. Champagne and plenty of fruit make it festive. “Served in small tea cups, this cocktail is good as a prelude to Thanksgiving dinner,” Toni Tipton-Martin advised.
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes(includes macerating and chilling)
Active Time: 15 minutes
serves: 30
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 3 oranges, sliced
- 2 lemons, sliced
- 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced into rings
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Abricotine or apricot brandy
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) Curaçao
- 2 (750 ml) bottles claret of choice
- 2 (750 ml) bottles Champagne or other sparkling white wine
- 2 cups sparkling water
- 1 large block of ice
- 1 grapefruit, thinly sliced into half-moons
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine sugar and warm water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add orange, lemon and pineapple slices, and stir to thoroughly coat fruit with syrup. Let fruit macerate, 30 minutes.
- Add Abricotine, Curaçao and claret, and stir for 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing on pulp with a spoon to extract fruit juice. Pour into a punch bowl along with Champagne and sparkling water. Stir gently. Add ice block and garnish with grapefruit slices. To serve, ladle into Champagne flutes, punch cups or tea cups.
Adapted from ‘Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice’ by Toni Tipton-Martin (Clarkson Potter)
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