Ginger Punch

A non-alcoholic ginger syrup punch of the sort served at receptions and card parties. The only real obstacle is the ginger itself.

• Canton gingerThis is young ginger preserved in heavy syrup, sold in jars or by the pound at grocers and confectioners of the period; the same product is still sold as stem ginger in syrup, and crystallized ginger is a workable substitute. It is not fresh ginger root, which is far sharper and would give a harsher drink at this quantity.
• Adjust the sugarHalf a pound of preserved ginger carries a great deal of its own sugar, especially if you use the syrup clinging to it. Taste after boiling and before adding the juices; a cup of sugar on top of syrupy ginger can push this past what most palates now want.
• Chop fineThe fifteen-minute boil is doing extraction work, not cooking. Cut the ginger to small dice or slice it thin so the syrup actually pulls flavour out in that time.
• The juices go in off the heatThe juices go in after the boil -- the recipe adds citrus once the syrup has boiled rather than during it. Heating orange and lemon juice tends to dull the fresh aroma, which may be why the order runs this way.
• How much fruitHalf a cup of lemon juice is about three to four lemons; half a cup of orange juice is one to two, depending on size. Strain out pips and pulp when you strain the finished punch.
• Keep the strained gingerThe cooked pieces are still good. Chop them into cake batter or scatter them over the punch cups as a garnish rather than discarding them.
• Yield and dilutionA quart of water plus a cup of juice gives you somewhere around five cups of concentrate, less whatever boils away in the fifteen minutes. Crushed ice takes it out further at the table.