The Rocky Mountains used to be the kind of place you’d find a gilt-slathered opera house standing next door to a barrelhouse built from old packing cases. Rocky Mountain Punch, a recipe dating to the 1860s or before, combines the flash and filigree of the former with the raw cussedness of the latter. Serves 16.
6 large lemons
16 ounces dark, full-bodied rum?8 ounces maraschino liqueur
Sugar to taste (at least 2 tablespoons)
2 bottles chilled brut champagne
1 liter chilled fizz water
Juice 4 of the lemons and combine the juice in a bowl with the rum, maraschino, and sugar. Let stand for an hour and then add a large block of ice, the champagne, the fizzy water, and the remaining 2 lemons, sliced into very thin circles.
