Red Ryder Punch is a gin based cocktail with the flavor of tangy-tart hibiscus, and a hint of blueberry sweetness. Inspired by Ralphie’s iconic “official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time,” from A Christmas Story, it is a refreshing cocktail that packs a nice punch of flavor. If you drink it without a straw, there’s thankfully little risk of shooting your eye out.
What Makes this Punch Red?
One of the things that gives this cocktail its color might surprising you. This punch isn’t red from any artificial flavoring. Instead, we’ve used over-steeped Reishi Blueberry Hibiscus tea to get a bright, festive shade of scarlet in your glass. Plus, that tea is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients to balance out the booze.
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Red Ryder Punch
Description
Don’t worry, this cocktail won’t shoot your eye out!
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz gin
- 2 Rishi Blueberry Hibiscus tea bags – Steeped in 1 cup of hot water for 2 hours*
- 1 oz rosemary simple syrup (recipe below)
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
For the rosemary simple syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4–6 fresh rosemary springs
Instructions
For the cocktail:
- Fill a rocks glass with ice.
- Pour all ingredients over ice, stir and serve with rosemary garnish.
For the rosemary simple syrup:
- Bring all ingredients to a boil until sugar is dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to steep/cool.
- Strain to remove the rosemary.
Notes
The tea for this cocktail needs to be over-steeped to get the maximum hibiscus and tannin from the tea bag. You’ll want this to sit for about 2 hours until it comes to room temp.
The syrup can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Bake a batch of Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies to enjoy while watching the movie.
Recipe by Justin Matase
Story and Styling by Star Laliberte
Photography by Laura Petrilla
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