Regent's Punch

This tea-infused champagne punch makes an elegant centerpiece for any festive occasion.

1 cup sugar
1 cup pineapple, cubed
2 lemons
2 oranges
1 seville orange (also called bitter or sour orange)
2 green tea bags (or 2 tsp. green tea leaves)
1 cup brandy, preferably VSOP cognac
¼ cup dark Jamaican rum
¼ cup arrack liquor, preferably Batavia-Arrack van Oosten, or cachaça
2 (26 oz) bottles brut champagne, chilled (2x750 mL)

Garnish:
fnutmeg, freshly grated

In a 1 qt saucepan, combine ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup water. Stir over high heat until sugar dissolves, transfer to a bowl along with pineapple. Allow to macerate in refrigerator for at least 8 hours to make a pineapple syrup. Strain and reserve, discard solids.

Using a peeler, peel lemons, oranges, and seville orange, taking off as little white pith as possible. Transfer peels to a heavy bowl, reserve fruit. Add remaining sugar, use a muddler or a wooden spoon to vigorously crush sugar and peels together until sugar turns faintly yellow and slushy.

In a medium bowl, steep tea in 2 cups of boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain tea over lemon and sugar mixture, stir until sugar dissolves. Juice reserved fruit into tea mixture. Strain through a sieve into another bowl, discard solids. Stir in pineapple syrup, brandy, rum, and arrack. Chill mixture. To serve, combine mixture and champagne in a punch bowl along with a large block of ice).

Garnish with nutmeg.

Makes 3-quarts.