Passion Punch
Blend ∙ 4 min ∙ 21.4% ABV ∙
The Passion Punch is a blended gin punch made with fresh passion fruit, Cognac, lime juice, sugar syrup, and Angostura bitters. Frothy and cold from the blender, it pours thick with tart-sweet pulp, a clean juniper backbone cutting through the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Cut a Passion fruit 1 pc in half and scoop the flesh into the blender
- Add the remaining ingredients: London dry gin 60 mlCognac 10 mlLime juice 25 mlSugar syrup 25 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes
- Blend with a scoop of crushed ice
- Pour into the chilled glass
- Note: Can be scaled up and served from a punch bowl or a large pitcher
Tips
- Scoop the passion fruit flesh straight into the blender, seeds and all, for the full tart-tropical hit.
- Blend only briefly once the crushed ice is in, so the drink stays cold without becoming watery.
History
Passion Punch traces to the tiki-bar tradition of Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron, whose Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide, Revised, published in 1972, includes a recipe combining gin, brandy, lime juice, passion fruit, and a dash of bitters that matches this drink. The recipe carries Bergeron's own "TV" mark, the notation he used in his books to flag drinks he devised himself rather than adapted from elsewhere. It belongs to the wider run of tropical punches Bergeron built at Trader Vic's restaurants from the 1930s onward, part of the mid-20th-century American tiki movement that paired rum-bar exoticism with fresh or bottled tropical juices such as passion fruit.
FAQ
How do you make a Passion Punch?
Cut a fresh passion fruit in half and scoop the flesh into a blender, then add London dry gin, Cognac, lime juice, sugar syrup, and Angostura bitters. Blend with a scoop of crushed ice and strain into a chilled highball glass; the recipe can also be scaled up and served from a punch bowl or large pitcher.
What is in a Passion Punch?
Fresh passion fruit, London dry gin, Cognac, lime juice, sugar syrup, and Angostura bitters, blended with crushed ice and served in a highball glass garnished with passion fruit.
What alcohol goes best with passion fruit?
Gin is the best match here, since its botanicals cut through passion fruit's tart sweetness, with a splash of Cognac added for extra depth.
