This is a variation on Mr Micawber’s gin punch recipe as featured in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, only with added pineapple – which would have been quite the luxury in Dickens’s time.
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Put the lemon zest and sugar in a pan; pound with a muddler or wooden spoon. Stir in the pineapple chunks, cinnamon, madeira and gin.
Gently warm the mixture until the vapours emerge. To caramelise, set the mixture on fire (optional). The safest way is to set a small spoonful of warm gin alight on a ladle and pour it in to ignite the rest. Stir the flaming liquid with the ladle for 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the pineapple caramelised. Extinguish by turning off the heat and covering with a lid.
Add 900ml just-boiled water and the lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon, water, sugar or gin, if needed. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture, divide between 8-10 heatproof glasses and garnish with the reserved pineapple wedges (charred, if liked).
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