Riverside John Daly Punch

This past Saturday was my dad’s annual birthday rager. A weekend usually filled with countless Jell-O shots, campfire sing-a-longs to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Rolling Stones and collard green prep. It’s always held at my family’s river house nestled next to the Econfina River in Taylor County, FL. It is also always a good time. Some people may think partying with your parents is lame but I adore my parents. They are hilarious and super entertaining and that is putting it mildly. My dad is full of Natural Light and his one-liners (“You couldn’t hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle!”) While my mom keeps him in check with her smart-assery, quick wit and wicked dance moves. Cue: Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf. Just to give you an idea, my parents threw their under garments in the fire last year just because they dared each other…and because drinks were flowing.

Anyway, our family and friends all gather each year for this one-of-a-kind event. Even though it is “rustic”, as my mom likes to say, and basically in the middle of the woods, there is always a good turn out. Some people attend once and continue coming back year after year, while others never show up again. Maybe it’s the poor cell phone reception, the mosquitoes or Uncle Moochie (story for another day), but as we like to say, “Econfina…it ain’t for everybody!”

Now that the debrief session is over, let’s talk about cocktails. My friend Andrea, a third year Econfinian, always mixes up a hunch punch of sorts for the party. It nearly knocks you on your ass and has been proven to cause memory loss. This year, we talked about whether or not we should have a punch again and we decided that yes, we absolutely should, but with one caveat. No red Hawaiian Punch for obvious reasons. So between the both of us, we decided on a lemonade and sweet tea hooch mixed with vodka, a lil’ everclear and fresh lemon juice. A twist on traditional hunch punch that still packs all the alcohol. Thanks to Andrea, we learned that this booze-filled Arnold Palmer actually has a name: John Daly. So, if you want to know how to make a vat of John Dalys then keep on reading!