Fish House Punch

Because most people are making one, not twenty. The proportions are the same as the bowl version, just scaled down and shaken instead of left to sit over an ice block. If you are serving a crowd, multiply straight up and let it stand cold for an hour before anyone touches it.

You can, and it becomes a decent rum punch, but the cognac is what gives it the dried-fruit and grape depth that separates this from every other rum-and-citrus recipe. Half and half is the point. If anything, use a heavier Jamaican rum so it isn't buried by the brandy.

The bowl version does. An hour or two cold lets the peach settle into the spirits and takes the edge off the lemon. A single glass shaken to order skips that, which is why it tastes slightly louder and sharper than a punch ladled from a bowl.

The simple syrup, down to 8 ml. Peach schnapps is already carrying a great deal of sugar at 15 ml, and most brands are sweeter than the peach brandy the recipe was built around. Leave the lemon where it is or the whole thing goes shapeless.

A classic Fish House Punch calls for 30 ml (1 oz) Cognac, 30 ml (1 oz) Dark rum, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Peach schnapps, 22 ml (0.75 oz) Fresh lemon juice, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Simple syrup. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Fish House Punch is roughly 24% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

A Fish House Punch is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.