Viking Rum Punsch Essence 20 ml

Viking Rum Punsch Essence 20 ml

Few drinks are as steeped in tradition as punsch. It belongs with the time-honoured supper of pea soup and pancakes, with student songs and formal dinners, with verandas in the evening sun and with that small cup of coffee after a good meal. It has its own glass, its own songs and a taste unlike anything else – sweet and golden, with the distinctive, spicy note of arrack at its heart.

With Viking Rum Punsch Essence you make your own classic punsch at home. The essence supplies the right blend of arrack and rum character, citrus and gentle spice, and you decide the style yourself: from dry to sweet punsch – the amount of sugar settles it, see the label.

Colour & Appearance

The finished punsch is a clear golden yellow, like pale honey or old gold. The sweetness gives it a full, slow-flowing body that slides unhurriedly down the glass. Served cold it turns thick and glossy; served warm it takes on a deeper amber tone.

Nose

The nose is unmistakable: the aromatic, faintly smoky note of arrack mingled with dark rum sweetness. Then come lemon zest, a little orange, black tea and gentle spices – cardamom and a touch of vanilla – over a base of soft brown sugar.

Palate

The palate is sweet, round and full, with arrack and rum in the foreground. The arrack provides that characteristic, almost floral spiciness, while the rum chips in with molasses and toffee. Citrus peel freshens things up, and a fine astringency, as of strong tea, balances the sugar so the sweetness never falls flat. Chilled, the punsch comes across as dense and silky with pronounced citrus; warm, the spices open up and the arrack grows more aromatic still.

Finish

The finish is long, sweet and warming. Arrack, candied citrus peel and a dry tea note linger for a good while, with a last reminder of brown sugar and vanilla.

How to Use

The essence is mixed with vodka or neutral spirit plus sugar – from dry to sweet punsch, the amount of sugar settles it, see the label. 20 ml makes 750 ml of finished punsch that can be enjoyed at once, though the flavour rounds out further if the bottle is left to rest for a while.

Serving Suggestions

• Warm, in small cups, with pea soup and pancakes.
• Cold, almost frozen, with coffee after dinner.
• Over vanilla ice cream, or in a punsch cream to go with apple cake.
• In mixed drinks – with lemon juice and soda it becomes a fresh, golden long drink.
• In baking: marzipan punsch rolls, truffles and punsch gateau.

About the Essence

Viking Rum Punsch is a faithful old hand in the range and a favourite with everyone who wants to keep the punsch tradition alive without paying shop prices for every bottle. It makes a straightforward, classic punsch with clear arrack and rum character – exactly what you expect in the glass on pea soup day.

Adding the sugar separately is a great advantage: the same essence can become a lean, drier punsch for the table or a properly sweet version for coffee. If you are after an even deeper and more nuanced expression, there is UP Viking Punch in the Ultra Premium series. Viking Rum Punsch Essence is also available in 25 litres for producers.