It's Time to Punch Out

A punch is a many-splendored thing, especially on a Friday.

Work is over. That means you shouldn't be expending any energy frantically agitating liquor and ice in your vintage shaker. It's been a long hard journey from Monday morning to this moment, hasn't it?

Take a load off. Make punch.

Specifically, make Daniel Webster's Rum Punch from Porchlight in New York City. The only hard work involves making the secret sauce known as oleo saccharum, a blend of lemon peels and sugar that's the basis for many classic punches. (Truth be told, oleo saccharum can be a bitch to make, but this recipe calls for an easy cheater's version.)

While you wait for your sugar to extract those precious fragrant oils from your citrus peels, make a couple cups of black tea and wait.

By the time your tea's cooled down, your oleo saccharum will be ready. From there, it's a simple dump-and-stir job: blend Jamaican rum, Cognac, oloroso sherry, and red wine in your serving vessel of choice, along with your peels and tea.

Finally, slip on your shades and sit back with a cool crystal goblet of this stuff, letting your worries about insipid coworkers and morning commutes melt away. Pretend you're an extremely rich partygoer in prestigious East Egg whose only concerns are the multiple affairs you're carrying on with a variety of fabulous lovers.

Or hell, just take a moment to appreciate the good stuff in life. Like drinks. Like a cool sip of punch.