You have invited friends and family around for a birthday celebration, the cake looks rather lonely amid the sandwiches and finger snacks, what to do? Then you remember the punch bowl set you received off your aunt Margaret, last Christmas, now is the perfect time to use it. What better sight to greet your guests than a good punchbowl filled with a colourful punch.
Keep all ingredients in refrigerator until the last moment, so the punch will be nicely chilled. So here are the Ming dynasty creations.
In Honour Of China’s Ming Emperors “Fit for an Emperor: The Ming”
Hongwu: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Hongwu was the founder and first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In every aspect, the activity of Hongwu meant a return to China’s ancient traditions: the reorganisation of agriculture, a return to the examination system, the traditional Tang costume, and the Imperial red colour.
- 13 fluid ounces of red watermelon syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of sparkling red wine
- 75 fluid ounces of cranberry clear sparkling water
- 1 blood orange
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu, stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with thin slices of blood orange
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Jianwen: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Jianwen, means “establishing civility” and represented a sharp change in tone from Hongwu. His reign did not last long: an attempt to restrain his uncles led to the Jingnan rebellion.
- 13 fluid ounces of hazel nut syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of babycham
- 75 fluid ounces of cranberry clear sparkling water
- 2 tangerines
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu, stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with segments of tangerine
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Yongle: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
The third emperor of the Ming Dynasty – Yongle reigned during the flourishing age of the early Ming dynasty. Yongle was the fourth son of the Hongwu emperor, who named Jianwen (his grandson) as successor to the throne shortly before his death.
- 13 fluid ounces of vanilla syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of sweet cider
- 75 fluid ounces of lime and lemon clear sparkling water
- 1 lime
- 1 lemon
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu, stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with thin slices of lemon and lime
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Hongxi: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
The Hongxi Emperor ordered that the capital be moved back to Nanjing from Beijing (which had been made the capital by the Yongle Emperor in 1421). However he died, probably of a heart attack, a month later in May 1425.
- 13 fluid ounces of orange and peach syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of bucksfizz
- 75 fluid ounces of white grape clear sparkling water
- 1 orange
- 1 peach
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu, stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with slices of orange and peach
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Xuande: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Xuande was the eldest son of Hongxi Emperor and was the fifth emperor to rule the Ming Dynasty. He strived to continue on the path of his grandfather Yongle Emperor’s “Golden Age”.
- 13 fluid ounces of curacao syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of lambrini
- 75 fluid ounces of apple clear sparkling water
- 1 red apple
- Pour the syrup into a bowl and add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with slices of apple
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Zhengtong: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Zhengtong ascended the throne in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in 1449, in favour of his younger brother the Jingtai Emperor.
- 13 fluid ounces of coconut syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of bellabrusco
- 75 fluid ounces of coconut clear sparkling water
- Coconut
- Pour the syrup into a bowl and add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with slivers of coconut
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Jingtai: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Jingtai reigned for eight years. When his death was imminent in 1457, he refused to name an heir, particularly because his own son had died mysteriously. The sidelined Zhengtong Emperor saw an opportunity to regain the throne and through a military coup overthrew the Jingtai Emperor.
- 13 fluid ounces of grenadine syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of peach sparkling wine
- 75 fluid ounces of cranberry clear sparkling water
- Punnet of cranberrys
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with cranberrys
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Chenghua: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Chenghua Emperor was sixteen years old when he ascended the throne. He was the son of Zhengtong Emperor. Chenghua established himself by introducing new policies meant to reduce taxes and strengthen the empire.
- 13 fluid ounces of summer fruit syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of Asti Spumante
- 75 fluid ounces of apple clear sparkling water
- 2 kiwi fruit
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with thin slices of kiwi fruit
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Hongzhi: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Hongzhi was the son of Chenghua Emperor and became the ninth emperor to rule the Ming Dynasty. His rule of the empire was known as the “Hongzhi Silver Age”, he was a wise and peace-loving ruler and the only known monogamous emperor in the history of China.
- 13 fluid ounces of lemongrass syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of sparkling martini
- 75 fluid ounces of blackberry clear sparkling water
- 1 lemon
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with thin slices of lemon
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Zhengde: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Emperor Zhengde was the 10th Ming ruler and the only surviving son of the preceding Hongzhi Emperor. From a young age he was thoroughly educated in Confucian literature, and showed great promise as the leader of the Empire. Unfortunately, this turned out to not be the case.
- 13 fluid ounces of lychee syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of sparkling rose wine
- 75 fluid ounces of mango clear sparkling water
- 1 mango
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with thin slices of mango
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Jaijing: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Jiajing Emperor was the cousin of the former Zhengde Emperor and the 11th Ming ruler to reign the dynasty. Jiajing ascended the throne as a result of the sudden death of Zhengde Emperor, who did not leave an heir.
- 13 fluid ounces of pomegranate syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of sparkling perry
- 75 fluid ounces of wild cherry clear sparkling water
- A jar of cocktail cherries
- Pour the syrup into bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with cherries
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Longqing: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Longqing was the 12th Emperor to rule the Ming Dynasty in China. He inherited the country in a state of disarray, due to the mismanagement and corruption at the reign of his father, Emperor Jiajing. He set about reforming his father’s policies and employing more competent officials while at the same time banning the corrupt eunuchs from court.
- 13 fluid ounces of cinnamon syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of sparkling moscato
- 75 fluid ounces of vanilla clear sparkling water
- 1 dragon fruit
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with sliced dragon fruit
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Wanli: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Wanli was Emperor Longqing’s third son and the 13th Emperor to rule the Ming Dynasty. He was just 9 years old when he ascended the throne, which meant that he was mainly aided in running the Empire by a statesman named Zhang Juzheng.
- 13 fluid ounces of chocolate syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of dry cider
- 75 fluid ounces of passion fruit clear sparkling water
- 1 star fruit
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with sliced star fruit
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Taichang: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
The Taichang Emperor, personal name Zhu Changluo, was the 15th emperor of the Ming dynasty. He was the eldest son of the Wanli Emperor and succeeded his father as emperor in 1620.
- 13 fluid ounces of mint syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid of prosecco
- 75 fluid ounces of watermelon clear sparkling water
- 1 kumquat
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with sliced kumquat
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Tianqi: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Tianqi was the 15th and penultimate ruler of the Ming Dynasty. He was the eldest son of Taichang Emperor who ruled the empire for just 29 days.
- 13 fluid ounces of tangerine syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of summer berries sparkling wine
- 75 fluid ounces of orange clear sparkling water
- 1 papaya
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with sliced papaya
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
Chongzhen: Baijiu Party Punch Cocktail
Chongzhen Emperor was the 15th and final Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He was the fifth son of Emperor Taichang. Upon the death of his brother, Chongzhen ascended the throne at the age of sixteen.
- 13 fluid ounces of anise syrup
- 38 fluid ounces of V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu
- 28 fluid ounces of pear perry
- 75 fluid ounces of peach clear sparkling water
- 1 guava
- Pour the syrup into a bowl, add V.I.P. Jiu 8 Baijiu and stir
- Add the rest of the liquids, do not stir
- Garnish with sliced guava
- Serves 30 x 5 fluid ounce glasses or cups
(Read More: The Ming Emperors)