Yo-ho-ho punch and a bottle of rum

Ingredients:

Spiced rum

• 1 bottle (750 ml) of white rum
• 5 whole allspice berries
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 whole star anise
• A 7.5cm strip of orange zest.
• 1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cinnamon stick

Punch base

• 1 cup of sugar
• 4 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 5 ml. bitters, such as Angostura
• 4 cups assorted orange slices, lime slices, pineapple wedges, and maraschino cherries, plus extra for garnish
• 1 bottle (2 liters) of sparkling seltzer water
• Ice cubes for serving
• Special device: 20 cm cake pan.

Preparation:

1. Spiced rumRemove the cap from the rum bottle and add allspice, cloves, star anise, orange zest, vanilla bean, and cinnamon. Tighten the cap and let it sit at room temperature for 2 days to a week, shaking the bottle once a day.
2. Frozen fruitsPlace 2 cups of ice cubes in a 20cm (8-inch) cake pan, then add half of the fruit mixture in a single layer. Top with another 2 cups of ice, then the remaining fruit (the ice will keep the fruit from sinking to the bottom). Fill with water and freeze for about 6 hours until firm.
3. To serve, combine the sugar with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. In a large punch bowl, combine the syrup, orange and lime juice, and bitters. Pour in the rum, straining it through a fine sieve, discarding the spices.
4. Let the frozen fruit sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then remove the island from the mold and drop it into the punch.
5. Fill a highball glass with ice and pour in 1 cup of punch. Top with about 60 ml of sparkling water and garnish as desired.