Celebrating a local produce that is easily available this time in Bengal, this punch marries warming spices with a subtle tang from roselle (tok dhnyarosh). We had fermented our black cumin honey (because why not!), which we have used here. But you can use the original non-fermented one as well. Here is the recipe for the non-alcoholic version. Feel free to tweak as per your grown-up needs.
For 4 servings
- 6-8 whole cloves
- 1-inch cassia cinnamon
- 1-inch ginger (cut into rough slices and crushed)
- 2 bay leaves (lightly crushed)
- 150 gms whole roselle (washed and dried)
- Water as needed (4 + 1 ½ serving size)
- 4-6 tbsp black cumin honey
- Salt, a pinch
Method
- Remove the red portions of the roselle (calyx) and discard the central seed sac.
- In a stock pot or sauce-pan, place all the ingredients including the roselle calyxes, except for honey. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest it for a minute, covered.
To serve
- Rim each glass with celery salt or powdered sugar. Put a slice of gondhoraj lebu and a muddled gondhoraj lebu pata.
- Drizzle honey as you need in each glass, top with the strained warm liquid that you just brewed.
- Enjoy