It was Easter, and just like at Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Driscoll family assembled for the holiday. My sister Joanne and her husband, Jeff, hosted the festivities, as they have for the past few years.
Our holiday parties average 40-something in attendance, so everyone chips in with food and beverage.
John, my sister Eileen’s husband, is the family’s designated grill master. He arrived early to work on the pork sirloin, which along with the glazed ham from Jeff and Joanne, constituted our main entrees; salads and side dishes from other family members rounded out the meal.
My contribution was the holiday punch: silver tequila infused with strawberries and rosemary, to which I added fresh-squeezed lime juice and ginger ale. I made oversized ice cubes, each with a sprig of rosemary in its center, to float in the punch bowl.
The food was great and as usual there were plenty of leftovers to be divided up. And yes, there was punch left over, but I heard that went fast at an after party.
Tim Driscoll is a bartender, a former bar owner and a perpetual student of mixology.
Serves 40-50
½ gallon Jose Cuervo silver tequila
Small basket of strawberries
Fresh rosemary sprigs
12 limes
Ginger ale
Pour the tequila into a glass jar (at least ½ gallon) and add fresh-cut strawberries and 3 or 4 sprigs of rosemary. Cover, put aside and let sit for 2 or 3 days.
At service time, add the juice of the limes to the mixture, stir.
Add 1 gallon ginger ale
Garnish with sprig of rosemary
To make the ice cubes:
Fill a Teflon muffin pan half-way with water, freeze
Add sprig of rosemary to each cube and top off with water
Freeze again
Ladle into ice-filled glassware
To make a single drink:
1½ ounces strawberry/rosemary infused tequila
½ ounce of fresh-squeezed lime juice.
Pour over ice in a highball glass
Top with ginger ale
Garnish with sprig of rosemary