Punching Out December!

As the year draws near the end, we have time for one more bit of advice from Peg Bracken's The I Hate to Cook Almanack (1976). Since there are so many mid-December get-togethers that may require a little lubrication, she turned to a character who occasionally shows up in the book-- One-Hoss-- for some advice about punch.

For those who like the flavor of fall shading into winter (or who have always wanted to taste a hot pomander), this is full of apple and warm spices with just a touch of flaming oranges! It's probably better to make this one before imbibing, or you might set the house/ yourself/ your guests on fire. (And don't try making this punch in a glass punch bowl, or you "might as well... hit it with a pipe wrench." Punch bowls aren't usually fireproof.)

If you want something a bit less likely to set the drapes ablaze and prefer the thought of beer loaded up with a dozen eggs (and some liquor!) to a bowl of eggnog, then Mrs. Beeton's Rumfustian might be more your speed.

Added bonus: If your sidewalks are insufficiently hairy, a Rumfustian will fur them right up! (Not sure why you'd want hair on your sidewalks, but I don't judge! Do with your sidewalks what you will.)

So now let's drink a toast to Peg Bracken and her almanac(k). She may have hated to cook, but she was fun to hang out with for the past year, maybe because she used more liquor and less canned soup than I expected.