Punch Recipe And Mulled Apple Cider Recipe At Clover Club Bar In Brooklyn In New York City

Once the king of mixed drinks, punch has been relegated to baby-shower status for too long. But now that New York's classic cocktail renaissance is in full swing, Julie Reiner intends to fix that.

The mixologist behind Manhattan's Flatiron Lounge—and, more recently, Cobble Hill's Clover Club—Reiner is also an ardent collector of antique punch bowls. She gives her collection new significance at Clover Club, where she devotes part of her encyclopedic menu of classic cocktails to punch. Reiner's brews aren't meant to be sipped with lips pursed and pinkies out; they're massive mixed drinks that mean business.

This week, Reiner rolls out Clover Club's new cocktail list, which includes this appley Harvest Punch—a little taste of fall served from a big bowl.

Harvest Punch
Makes 6 servings

Peels of 2 lemons (no white pith)
¾ ounce cane syrup or simple syrup
4 ounces fresh lemon juice
8 ounces Rhum JM VSOP
8 ounces Mulled Apple Cider (recipe follows)
8 ounces VS cognac
4 ounces Licor 43
2 ounces Jamaican Rum
Apple slices and freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish
In a chilled punch bowl, muddle the lemon peels with the cane syrup. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Place a large block of ice in the punch bowl. Garnish with the apple slices and nutmeg.

Mulled Apple Cider
2 quarts fresh apple cider
10 cinnamon sticks
15 cloves
10 whole cardamom pods
10 whole allspice
2 whole nutmeg
Peel of 1 orange (no white pith)
1/8 cup brown sugar
In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients; simmer gently for 45 minutes. Let cool, then strain; reserve the cider. Refrigerate until ready to use.

The Clover Club, 210 Smith St., Brooklyn; 718-855-7939 or cloverclubny.com