Friends in Low Places
Makes 8 stiff drinks.
A class migrant, I take pleasure and some pride in the handful of high-quality, high-consecration bottles on top of my bar. I consider this fairly harmless as conspicuous consumption goes—plus, my top-shelf selections (amaros, monastic liqueurs, a venerable Armagnac) are reflective of personal taste and not price tag alone. But true to my roots, nothing tastes better to me than a bargain. I remain a connoisseur of the bottom shelf, sampling overlooked spirits to find diamonds in the rough, and I treasure each hard-won discovery. There’s a $15 bourbon that we’re not good enough friends for me to tell you about. But this tiki-style punch is a celebration of three spirits that—at under $20 per bottle—are better than they have any right to be. Together with a customary overexuberance of juices and syrups, they will put a lot of life in your next party—and hardly a dent in your wallet.
12oz. Cachaça 51
12oz. Laird’s Applejack
6oz. Cruzan Black Strap Rum
6oz. Grapefruit Juice
6oz. Pineapple Juice
3oz. Lime Juice
3oz. Orgeat
3oz. Allspice Syrup
1oz. Grenadine
Serve over crushed ice in your favorite tiki-ware—or a coffee mug.