Going to a food blogger’s house for dinner is always a treat, especially when that food blogger runs a really great blog like En Mi Cocina Hoy and makes delicious Chilean choripan (a Spanish chorizo hot dog) and wheat berry salad.

But then there’s the stress of writing a cocktail blog and being tasked with making a drink for a food blogger. Thankfully, the people at En Mi Cocina Hoy are kind and welcoming and aren’t too harsh about my cocktail obsession. 

Dram Spiced Punch: Rum, Rose, Allspice. Picture by Pilar of En Mi Cocina Hoy

I needed something I could make early in the day, so I opted for a punch. I wanted to make something similar to a Queen’s Park Swizzle, another of my favorites, but I didn’t want it to be too boozy. So I added some rose wine to temper the liquor and add body. To make Dram Spiced Punch, combine

• 1 1/2 cups Flor de Cana white rum
• 2 cups rose wine
• 1/3 cup St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram 
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup simple syrup

and then refrigerate it.

Then I used crushed ice, poured the punch over it, put a few dashes of Angostura bitters on top, and garnished with a mint sprig.

It would be more appropriate for a fall punch because of the allspice flavor, which is reminiscent of apple pies and spiced pumpkin soups. But I like allspice all the time. Would be great for a Thanksgiving party in south Texas, in fact, because it’s usually t-shirt weather then. 

But it’s still good on a hot, sweaty June afternoon. Especially with great food.

 So thanks to En Mi Cocina Hoy for the great meal, and also for the great picture!