Philadelphia Fish House Punch and Where to Find It

It all started with the Fish House Punch. While reading Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh, we learned a little more about the contents of Philly's original punch bowl. Grab a copy of the handy book for the recipe, but know that it involves a ton of rum and oddly, green tea.  Members of the Schuylkill Fishing Company created the crowd-pleaser. According to Haigh,  "a recipe as old as Fish House Punch, fervently slurped by the Father of Our Country, has inevitably gone through many fanciful formulations."  However, you can still find the drink on the menus of cocktail bars like Village Whiskey, APO Lounge, and a variation at the Oyster House and the Franklin Bar.

At Village Whiskey in Rittenhouse Square, the Philly Fish House Punch combines peach brandy, cognac, dark rum, tea, lemon, and spiced sugar for a veritable punch of old-school flavor in a classy setting.

A few blocks away at the Franklin,  the Flowing Bowl menu lists some punchy concoctions like Pass and Stow Punch, Professor's Punch with green chartreuse, and Passyunk Punch with aged rum and chai tea.

The Oyster House, also in Rittenhouse, has an Oyster House Punch, which separates itself from the Philly version with gin and sparkling wine.

And finally, APO Lounge in Washington Square West will serve up a Fish House Punch that will please a crowd, of brandy, peach cordial, rum, strong tea, and lemon.

You can always whip up your own at home with Esquire's recipe. Cheers!

[photo credit: Esquire.com]