Today there is a story in the Austin American-Statesman about how to ring in the New Year with a big bowl of punch. Since I knew that there would be quite a few Austinites and expatriate Longhorns in the Burnt Orange Diaspora who would be in need of a special beverage next week as well, I created a two-birds-with-one-stone Championship Punch. Fun enough for New Year's Eve, but strong enough to fortify our nerves for next week's football game.

Championship Punch
3-4 Tangerines, Meyer Lemons, Oranges, Lemons, mixed
24 oz (about 1 750ml bottle) Flor de Caña 4yr Aged Rum (or other aged rum, such as Mt. Gay or Texas-made Railean)
6 oz fresh squeezed Tangerine juice
6 oz fresh squeezed Meyer Lemon juice*
1/2 cup demerara sugar (or white sugar)
6 oz strong green tea
6-8 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz St. Elizabeth's Allspice Dram (available at the Austin Wine Merchant and finer liquor stores)
Over a punch bowl or glass pitcher, remove the zests of several tangerines, meyer lemons, oranges or lemons, about 3-4 fruit total. Be careful to remove only the outer zest and not the white pith, which is bitter. Leave the zests in the bowl and add sugar and warm green tea. Stir to dissolve and allow to steep a few minutes. Add rum, fruit juices, bitters, and allspice dram. Strain mixture into a punch bowl. Add a large block of ice, which you can make by freezing water in a Jell-O mold, bunt pan, or half of a paper milk carton. A large block of ice will take several hours to dilute and so will not water down your punch as will regular ice. Makes about 12 4-oz servings.

*If you do not have access to Meyer Lemons, try an equal mixture of regular lemon juice and orange juice