Merry Brandybuck's sweet and celebratory spiced apple brandy punch taken from the hedgerows and orchards along the Brandywine River is the perfect tipple to toast Bilbo and Frodo at their birthday feast! For more Middle-Earth cocktail recipes, try our stout old fashioned or our spiced mulled mead.
At a Glance: Spiced Apple Brandy Punch
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Steeping Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: ~1 hour 30 minutes
- Servings: 8 servings
- Flavour: Sweet and spicy, hint of blackcurrant and citrus
- Skill Level: Easy
- Why this Works: A sweet and spiced apple reduction along with juicy blackcurrant liqueur add sweetness to this fresh, sparkling apple brandy punch.
If you love recipes from the Shire, try our Feast at the Green Dragon e-cookbook for classic tavern fare: bubbling starters, savoury mains and pies, hedgerow puddings, and dark ale and berry drinks.
A Feast at Bag End: A Hobbit Birthday
As summer begins to fade into fall and the fields and gardens of the Shire are brimming with a bountiful harvest, the hobbits look forward to a very special celebration. With the War of the Ring now behind them and peace restored to Middle-Earth, the joint birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins feels more joyful than ever! Both uncle and nephew are now keen to celebrate with the friends and family who saw them through darker days.
In honour of the hobbits' shared birthday on September 22nd, we can imagine Bilbo and Frodo preparing for a gathering of friends from across Middle-Earth. As each member of the Fellowship and other old friends travel to the Shire they bring with them a taste of their local cuisine. Join us in celebrating this momentous hobbit birthday with Bilbo, Frodo, and the rest of the Fellowship!
Merry's Brandywine Spiced Apple Brandy Punch
Merry Brandybuck is no stranger to a good party, and along with his pal Pippin, he is always ready to share a glass of good cheer. From the hedgerows and orchards of his home in Buckland and along the Brandywine river comes this celebratory punch. Fresh apple juice is blended with spices and citrus and reduced into a flavourful syrup. Blackcurrant liqueur adds sweetness and a hint of tang while brandy adds a punch to this birthday tipple. Finished with sparkling hard cider, this spiced apple brandy punch is the perfect drink to toast Bilbo and Frodo at their birthday feast!
Enjoy this spiced apple punch with dishes from our Feast at Bag End series like Mini Mushroom Galettes and Smoky Rosemary Maple Roasted Nuts.
Ingredients for Spiced Apple Brandy Punch
Apple juice: You can use apple juice or fresh non-alcoholic apple cider in this punch. Part of the juice is reduced with whole spices and orange slices to make a sweet concentrated spice mixture while the remaining juice adds a fresh apple flavour to the punch.
Blackcurrant liqueur: Blackcurrant liqueur adds fruity sweetness along with a hint of tang to the punch. Crème de cassis is a blackcurrant liqueur from the Burgundy region in France and is widely available in most liquor stores. If you can't source it, then blackberry liqueur would make a good substitute.
Brandy: Brandy adds a strong alcoholic punch to this recipe. I use a basic brandy in this recipe. Apple brandy, such as Calvados, would also make a great choice, although it can be pricey.
Hard cider: Sparkling hard cider is added just before serving.
Spices: Whole spices are steeped in an apple juice reduction to add autumnal flavour to this punch.
Lemon juice: Given the sweetness of the apple reduction and the blackcurrant liqueur, lemon juice adds a balancing acidity to this recipe.
Make Ahead Tips
Here are a few make-ahead tips for this punch .
- Reduction - The apple spice reduction can be made up to several days ahead of time and stored in the fridge. The punch gets a majority of its spiced flavour and sweetness from this reduction. Strain the reduction and discard the spices and oranges slices before storing.
- Refrigeration - When it comes to making the punch, I would recommend making the base no more than one day in advance. Once exposed to the air, the alcohol will begin to evaporate slightly. Preferably, mix the apple spice reduction with the brandy, liqueur, and other juices earlier in the day that you wish to serve it. Cover the punch tightly with cling film and store in the fridge.
- Finish with the cider - The sparkling hard cider should be added at the very end, just before you want to serve the punch, to ensure it doesn't go flat. Fill the punch bowl with the punch, ice, and any fruit garnishes, and then top with the hard cider.
How to make Spiced Apple Brandy Punch
1. Make the spiced apple reduction
Add 2 ½ cups of the apple juice to a medium saucepan. Add the whole spices and orange slices to the pan and place over medium high heat. Bring the juice to a rapid simmer and allow the juice to reduce down to 1 cup. This should take about 12 to 15 minutes.
Once the juice has reduced, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for another 5 to 10 minutes to cool briefly. Strain the reduction and let cool before using.
2. Mix the punch
In a large pitcher combine the remaining 1 ½ cups apple juice, brandy, blackcurrant liqueur, lemon juice, and the spiced apple reduction. Cover the pitcher tightly with cling film and chill in the fridge until very cold.
3. Serve the Spiced Apple Brandy Punch
Fill a punch bowl with ice cubes and the chilled punch. Garnish the punch with thinly sliced apples and oranges if desired. Top with the hard cider, stirring gently to combine. Enjoy!
More Recipes from A Feast at Bag End
- Smoky Rosemary Maple Roasted Nuts
- Mini Mushroom Galettes
- Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
- Soft Barley Bread and Peach and Bay Leaf Jam
- Cheddar Ale Mashed Potatoes
- Tarragon Green Beans with Lemon and Pine Nuts
- Cider Roasted Carrots with Walnuts and Sage
- Vanilla Cake with Salted Honey Buttercream and Blackberry Jam
Spiced Apple Brandy Punch
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple juice divided
- 2 orange slices
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anise
- 6-8 whole cloves
- 4-6 whole allspice berries
- 1 cup brandy
- 1 cup blackcurrant liqueur such as Crème de Cassis
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 cans dry hard cider
- apple slices for garnish
- orange slices for garnish
- whole spices for garnish
Instructions
- Add 2 ½ cups of the apple juice to a medium saucepan. Add the whole spices and orange slices to the pan and place over medium high heat. Bring the juice to a rapid simmer and allow the juice to reduce down to about 1 cup. This should take about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Once the juice has reduced, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for another 5 to 10 minutes to cool briefly. Strain the reduction and let cool before using.
- In a large pitcher combine the remaining 1 ½ cups apple juice, brandy, blackcurrant liqueur, lemon juice, and the spiced apple reduction. Cover the pitcher tightly with cling film and chill in the fridge until very cold.
- Fill a punch bowl with ice cubes and the chilled punch. Top with the hard cider, stirring gently to combine. Garnish the punch with thinly sliced apples and oranges and a few whole spices if desired. Enjoy!
