Did you know that there is a drink that is considered an excellent remedy against both physical ailments and inner ailments? We are talking about the famous Livorno-style punch, a speciality of the well-known Tuscan capital known and appreciated throughout Italy not only for its exceptional flavour, but also for its ‘therapeutic’ properties.
It seems, in fact, that a sip of this ‘miraculous drink’ is enough to experience an immediate sensation of calm and tranquillity, at least for a while. The secret lies in a special combination of ingredients which, needless to say, includes our beloved coffee.
To taste this delicious speciality, however, it is not at all necessary to travel all the way to Livorno. All you have to do is follow the instructions we are giving you and you can easily prepare it yourself at home.
Livornese punch and its origins
The origins of Livornese punch date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. For the city of Livorno those were golden years, marked by the intense naval traffic that allowed it to come into contact with numerous cultures, one above all the English. The people of Livorno noticed that the British Marians used to consume the so-called ‘grog’, a sort of ‘poor man’s version’ of punch.
Someone therefore proposed replacing the tea, an ingredient in the drink, with the decidedly more lively coffee: the result was the first version of today’s Livorno-style punch, also characterised by the addition of a particularly cheap rum made from sugar and caramel.
This mixture, called ‘fancy rum’, was added to ground coffee, boiled in a pot and filtered in the coffee pot through a woollen cloth: an undoubtedly somewhat tedious operation that, fortunately, you are now free to spare yourself.
Making the perfect coffee for your punch is in fact easier than ever, as all you have to do is prepare it with the right tools. After all, you know yourself that if you want to drink good coffee, you should make it with the right machine. With this in mind, we strongly recommend you use a lever machine: the only one that can guarantee you a drink with an intense aroma and rich nutritional properties, perfect to be used as the main ingredient of your exquisite Livorno-style punch.
If you’re intrigued by the idea, take a look at our catalogue and discover the right coffee machine for you: the one that will allow you to make a great espresso, which will give your punch a truly unique taste! But, to be able to do this, you must first know exactly how to make Livorno-style punch.
How to prepare Livorno-style punch
There is more than one recipe for Livornese punch, and it is up to you to figure out which one you prefer. We, who know coffee, can assure you that in this respect nothing changes: it is rather the other ingredients that vary. If you are an incurable traditionalist and want to enjoy Livorno-style punch in its most classic version, we suggest you follow the original recipe, for which you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup of espresso coffee;
- 3 cl of fancy rum (or regular, if you can’t get it);
- 1 teaspoon sugar;
- 1 lemon peel.
These ingredients should be mixed inside the so-called ‘gottino’, i.e. a hexagonal-shaped glass typically used to serve Livorno-style punch. First pour in the sugar, add the lemon zest and, finally, add the rum.
Once this is done, bring the mixture to the boil using the steam of the coffee machine: when you begin to notice bubbles on the surface, move the glass, waiting for the sugar to dissolve with the heat of the steam. Once this is done, brew a ristretto coffee and place the glass so that it is tilted under the spout of the machine until the foam has reached the rim. At this point, swirl it a little so that the foam remains firmly on the surface and, once this final step is completed, your fabulous Livorno-style punch is finally ready to be enjoyed!
Variants of the original recipe
If you love experimenting, Livorno-style punch is available in numerous variants, allowing you to savour different essences that will fully satisfy even the most demanding palates. Torpedine punch, for example, involves adding a pinch of chilli pepper to the coffee; cognacche punch, on the other hand, takes its name from cognac, also added to the original recipe.
Another particularly popular version of Livornese punch is the one called ‘mezzo e mezzo’, an attribute that indicates both the presence of rum and an aniseed liqueur called ‘sassolino’. The two alcohols are in fact mixed in the same measure, i.e. 1/3: for the rest, however, absolutely nothing changes and the drinks are added at the same time.
Finally, if you feel particularly skilful, you can try preparing the prestigious ‘separate punch’, where the sugar is heated to a high temperature to create a particularly thick cream that eventually separates the liqueur from the coffee.
So, as you may guess, the beauty of Livornese punch is that you can prepare it according to your own tastes and preferences, but also to your own skill. The result obtained will be exquisite in any case.
Conclusion
If you have read this far, you might have felt like tasting a nice glass of Livornese punch, perhaps prepared with espresso coffee from your brand-new lever machine. After all, after teasing your palate with a series of exquisite recipes, it is perfectly normal for your mouth to water. And, you know, there are temptations to which it is compulsory to give in!
If this were really your wish and you were really thinking of throwing yourself into making punch, why wouldn’t you do it? The secret is all in using good coffee, prepared with the right tools. Once you have done it properly, in fact, you will not only get a good espresso, but also the basic ingredient of a whole host of recipes, Livorno-style punch above all!
