Roosevelt Punch

No meal is complete without a special drink to accompany it! Sara Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt took a strong stance against alcohol. Considering Eleanor's tragic childhood, one can easily understand why. 
 
Sara Roosevelt (or Mrs. James to her staff) did not permit drinking in her house- except for Franklin and his company within his office. Though joked about as "a coat closet," Franklin's office was right behind the stairs of Springwood in a room that had previously been the servant's hall (mentioned in chapter 19 of A Roosevelt Smile ).

This photo is curtesy of NPS Springwood

There, and only there, alcohol could be enjoyed. (You can see more on his office in this article by NPS)

For today's celebration- we're sticking to drinks likely served in their dining room. This punch recipe comes from a Delano cousin named Una! It was recorded in Sara Roosevelt's household book, which was lovingly put into print by Clara & Hardy Steeholm.
 
To make their punch, you'll start with a hunk of ice. 
 
Before refrigeration, ice was carved out of the Hudson River and stored in the ice house for easy access throughout the year. Many kitchens [I presume Springwood] had small insulated compartments built in the kitchen walls to keep ice.

1. Next, you'll add 1 bottle of sparkling white grape juice
2. 1 bottle of gingerale
3. 1 pt. white rock
4. the juices of 2 oranges
5. the juice of 2 lemons
6. some crushed mint
7. then sweeten to taste
8. Add slices of 2 oranges to the pitcher and a little banana (!?) and cucumber.
9. Mix before serving!

​I thought this would be an easy recipe to replicate... until I came across "white rock." My initial thought was that meant sugar. Google tells me it actually means an illicit drug, but I think we can rule that out as an ingredient in the Roosevelt's recipe ! After checking some other historic recipes, I was able to confirm that this refers to 2 cups of granulated sugar!
​
​ Keep the modern "white rocks" out of the punch, kids! 

https://punchdrink.com/articles/how-well-do-you-know-history-of-punch-recipes/

To dive into the history of punch, click the image above! Or, for some more historic punch recipes, check out this wonderful round up of punches prior to 1969!

Do you serve punch at parties? Or has that gone out of fashion? Tell me your thoughts in the comments!