Waitrose and Partners
Caramelised pineapple punch

Caramelised pineapple punch

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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  • Serves8
  • CourseDrink
  • Prepare10 mins
  • Cook15 mins
  • Total time25 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 unwaxed lemons, pared zest of 4, juice of 2
  • 100g dark brown soft sugar
  • 1 pineapple, peeled and cored, ½ cut into wedges, ⅔ cut into chunks
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 200ml madeira (or sherry, marsala or dessert wine)
  • 500ml gin (or dark rum)

Method

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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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