Punch and Rum — the Doctor Cocktail
The hallmark ingredient of the Doctor Cocktail is Swedish Punch, a liqueur that tastes very much like a sweetened Jamaican rum, with caramel, molasses and plenty of leathery ”hogo” at the forefront, and faint notes of smoke, spice and fruit.
That hogo—the pecular earthiness often found in Jamaican rums—comes as no surprise: the Punch’s main component is Batavia-Arrack, an Indonesian rice and sugar cane rum famous for its heavy flavors. (Arrack is also the primary spirit that fueled the Punch bowls of 17th- and 18th-century Europe and England.)
The earliest reference to the Doctor Cocktail is Hugo Ensslin’s, from his 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks. Ensslin’s recipe, just a jigger of Cedarlund’s Swedish Punch and the juice of a lime, is crudely simple—a proto-Doctor, perhaps—and suggests that he didn’t put a lot of thought into it, but tossed off perhaps as a promotion for Cedarlund.
Robert Vermeire evolved the formula as the “Doctor’s Cocktail” in 1922. Calling for “Caloric Punch” (a term often used in early recipes to specify what is now almost universally called Swedish Punch), Vermeire dropped the heavy portion of lime in favor the lighter flavors of lemon and orange, and the modern version of the cocktail began to take shape.
The most important evolution of the Doctor appeared after Prohibition, when Frank Meier added rum to the mix. In his Artistry of Mixing Drinks (1936), he describes the Doctor Cocktail as equal parts Swedish Punch and Bacardi, with a teaspoon each of lemon and orange.
The Doctor Cocktail
If Meier hadn’t done it, “Trader Vic” Bergeron almost certainly would have; in fact, the Doctor acquired its fully modern form thanks to Bergeron, who did what seemed to come naturally to him—he substituted a dose of dark Jamaican rum for the lighter Bacardi.
In his 1947 Bartenders Guide, Bergeron records it thus:
Doctor Cocktail
- 1½ oz Swedish Punch (Kronan Swedish Punsch)
- ¾ oz Jamaican Rum (Smith & Cross, Myers’s)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp orange juice
Shake well with cracked ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass. Variations: Substitute the juice of ½ lime for lemon and orange juice. Equal parts rum and Swedish Punch may be used.
…and, as Ensslin admonishes us, “serve very cold.”
The Smith & Cross rum is an excellent choice for the Doctor; it has a similar flavor profile to the Swedish Punch, and its elevated ABV helps it stand up to the Punch’s assertiveness. Less hogo-laden, but very pleasant in this drink, are Myers’s and Appleton 12.
I’ve seen recipes that take Bergeron up on his suggested substitution of lime for the lemon and orange. Lime makes an OK Doctor, but I prefer to stay with the lemon-orange plan—the flavors blend more smoothly with the softer juices, and offer a refreshing alternative to the standard rum-and-lime combination.
As far as I know, Kronan is the only Swedish Punch (or “Punsch,” as they prefer to spell it) commercially available in the US. It only recently became available in my region; my pleasure in finding it in my liquor store is the thing that inspired me to try the Doctor in the first place.
But if your local supplier doesn’t have it, you’re still not out of luck. It turns out to be pretty easy to make the Punch yourself—if you have access to Batavia-Arrack (it comes from Haus Alpenz, the same outfit that imports Kronan). There is a well-regarded recipe for a version of Swedish Punch at Eric Ellestad’s SavoyStomp; it makes a large pot of punch, but is easily scaled to size.
The Doctor serves as a fine reminder that it pays to experiment. In this case, the drink evolved from rudimentary and clunky to elegant and lush. Instead of the rum-and-lime cliché, it is a sophisticated combination of flavors that doesn’t follow the expected course.
“Punch and Rum—the Doctor Cocktail” at cold-glass.com : All text and photos Copyright © 2012 Douglas M. Ford. All rights reserved.
This sounds right up my street, and not just because it matches my profession. The flavours all sound excellent together. I have a feeling that I’ve seen a swedish punch sold somewhere here, but it sounded so outlandish that I never thought to try it.
Would love to give this a try. It looks wonderful.
Sounds like the ideal summer drink! The Swedish Punch might be a challenge to get around my parts.
Incidentally, I thought of your blog the other day when reading a NYT article by Jacques Pepin on Julia Child. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/15/dining/jacques-pepin-recalls-friendship-with-julia-child.html?pagewanted=all). In it, he recalls a trip to Julia’s house and having Paul Child make what Pepin called ‘a reverse Manhattan:’ “It is made mostly with sweet red vermouth, a wedge of lime or lemon and a couple of tablespoons of bourbon. ”
Not quite sure where the reverse comes in though….
The idea that someone would think of me and my blog as they read an article in the NYT—especially an article by and about two of my favorite inspirations—is something that takes me quite aback. It stopped me cold as I read through these comments. Very uplifting, thank you for letting me know.
As for the “reverse” Manhattan, I would say it comes from switching the roles of the whiskey and vermouth. It’s normally served as a bit of vermouth in lots of whiskey; Paul Child’s was a bit of whiskey in lots of vermouth. I love the traditional Manhattan, but I’ll have to give this “reversed” version a try.
Thanks!
I hope that’s ‘stopped me cold’ in a good way? Just a testimony to how much I enjoy the blog, especially on those days when there is nothing I would like more than to be sitting in the upstairs restaurant in St Pancras Station (London), sipping a Thursday or Friday late afternoon cocktail (usually vodka martini for me)after work with husband/friends/colleagues, but can’t. ‘Cold Glass’ provides me with a magical virtual cocktail hour.
Regarding RM, don’t know if I could stand all that vermouth myself, and manhattans remind me (in a good way) of lunches when I was a kid with my grandmother and her friends, definitely not Sex and the City!
A “magical virtual cocktail hour,” I like the idea. I prefer the non-virtual type, but what a pleasant concept.
Now, about your grandmother—Manhattans for lunch? I think I would have liked your grandmother very much.
I didn’t realise Punsch was ‘Hogo’. That’s my favourite flavour these days.Love agricole, and my Cachaca is one fo the cheapest bottles I own, and also one of the tastiest. Gotta get me some Punsch and whip up a Doctor Ccoktail.
I didn’t realize it, either, so my first sip on bringing it home was quite a revelation. I imagine you’ll enjoy the Doctor.
A tasty drink…we got some Swedish Punch a while back and this was one of the first drinks we tried. Great photo and glassware…Do you mind telling us where you got the glass?
I’m glad you enjoyed the photo. Alas! that I’m no help with the glass—it came from a local antiques and collectibles shop, so I don’t even know the name of the maker.
Oh well, thanks. Part of the fun with cocktails is finding new glassware…
Good god that is a pretty glass you have there, Doug…
Interesting. Punsch has fallen out of flavour in mainstream Swedish society, but is still big at formal dinners at the oldest universities and engineering schools. There it is served ice cold to accompany very strong drip coffee. While waiting to be served the guest sings a song in anticipation.
Krister— that’s a fascinating account, and suggests that Punsch has become more of a passé, perhaps nostalgic, formal ritual among the Swedes, rather than a mainstream refreshment? It reminds me that many of the great punches had their origin in large social gatherings, and particularly as “regimental” punches; Chatham Artillery Punch is one of the famous ones that I should write up one of these days.
Thank you for adding the video to your comment. In addition to being both enlightening and entertaining, it also has the honor of being the first video posted at Cold Glass!