We think back to our early 20’s and remember friends getting overly excited about Scorpion Bowls. You know, a giant glass of every alcohol imaginable with 5 straws and cavity-inducing amounts of sugar. They always seemed like a good idea… at the time.
Now, we like to think we, and our taste for alcohol, is more refined. However, every woman needs a night out with her friends every once in a while (minimum once a week if you ask us) and while we’ve taken the word “Scorpion Bowl” out of our vocabulary, we do like the idea of sharing drinks. That’s why we were thrilled when we noticed that bars and restaurants are beginning to serve actual punch bowls to groups of people. Like, cute punch bowls with separate glasses and a ladle. And no, you cannot stick your straw in the bowl.
There’s a place we love in Denver called Punch Bowl Social – it’s a 24,000 sq. ft. “high-volume bar, gastro-diner, coffee house, entertainment and private party venue.” It’s basically everything awesome all under one roof; bowling, ping pong, darts, pool, throwback 1980’s video games… and some great bowls of punch. They let you order punch by the glass, but you can also get a bowl that serves 4 or 8. These are not your mother’s punch recipes – for example, “Trace of Peach Punch” is Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Leopold’s Peach Liqueur, lemon juice, Chinese 5 spice simple syrup, Fee’s peach bitters, Teatulia black tea, fresh ground nutmeg and sage.
Cienfuegos in New York City has an entire menu dedicated to punches and you can order a bowl for 2-3 people, 4-5 people or 9-10 people. It’s a Cuban restaurant, so they have a lot of interesting concoctions beyond basic fruity mixes. Try the “Funky Old Man From Martinique” – Rhum Saint James Royal Ambre, Lime, Mint, Cane, Angostura and Champagne.
We’re definitely into the punch trend. Have you encountered any places near you that serve it? Let us know about them.