While preparing for a recent party, I discovered that I lacked one crucial ingredient to make a punch. It didn’t take me long to realise that I could improvise with the use of one crucial Maltese ingredient.

I wanted to make a Pimms #1 cup punch. It’s simple to make and always disappears quickly when I host people; they all appreciate the fruity flavour, the refreshing taste and the fact that it doesn’t really taste of alcohol. (My photograph archive claims otherwise)

Pimms is a particular drink and there is only one place in the whole of Prague that stocks it. I went into the shop a few days before the party only to be told that they had run out!

This left me wondering what to do next. My first reaction was to create a different type of punch but then I got to thinking about Pimms. This drink is gin-based, tea-coloured and which tastes of spices and citrus fruit. Finding something similar would be out of the question, of course, unless I could make my own.

And then I remembered my stock of Kinnie.

Kinnie is a non-alcoholic Maltese soft drink that is tea-coloured, and based on bitter oranges and spices.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

I figured that if I mix gin and Kinnie, I may end up with something that is close to Pimms. To make the Pimms #1 punch, I need a litre of Pimms and a litre of lemonade (or ginger ale). In this case, I therefore thought to put a litre of gin and a litre of Kinnie together. That would do the trick volume-wise.

The real question is: which gin to use?

I made myself three shots based upon the gins I had in the cupboard: Hendrick’s, Bombay Sapphire East and Finsbury Gin. The shots were equal parts gin and Kinnie.

Bombay Sapphire East, as can be expected, was a little too spicy for my tastes.
Finsbury Gin blended well with Kinnie, leaving an interesting after taste.
Hendrick’s gave the perfect combination of flavours.

I suppose my preference for Hendrick’s may have biased me, but still.

I made the punch using a litre of Hendrick’s and Kinnie over plenty of ice, garnishing it with chopped lemons and oranges. Usually I add mint and cucumber peel too but I felt that this may not work in this case.

The result was just as I expected and my guests drained it in record time, so something certainly worked here.

Ingredients

(Serves 20)

• 1 litre of Hendrick’s gin. I suspect that Monkey 47 gin would be the smoothest but I can’t find it to purchase here in Prague. Perhaps a citrus-infused gin would be useful too.
• 1 litre of Kinnie. You can use other chinotto drinks available from any self-respecting Italian shops. I find that the Italian ones tend to be sweeter than what I’m used to though.
• 4 large oranges
• 4 large lemons
• Ice

Instructions

1. Fill half a large serving bowl with ice
2. Pour the gin and the Kinnie in.
3. Chop the fruit up into manageable chunks. Remember that people will ladle the drink into their glasses so the fruit needs to be small enough to fit.
4. Mix well

It’s a refreshing drink, ideal for sunny days and open-air activities. Or any kind of party, really.

I hope you like it as much as my friends and I did