Recipe created for the Punch Brunch 2020 by Amber Bruce, bar manager at The Keefer Bar in Vancouver.

The Punch Brunch, held at Botanist at the Fairmont Pacific Rim on January 26, was the official launch for the inaugural Vancouver Cocktail Week presented by The Alchemist magazine, which will be held March 7 to 10, 2021. For more cocktail recipes from the brunch, see: The Rye of the Tiger, Featherweight Punch Royale, A Bit Curious and Morning Ritual.

• 1 oz Bacardi Ocho Rum
• 1.5 oz carrot and fennel chai, chilled*
• 0.25 oz lemon juice
• 0.25 oz maple yunzhi 2:1*
• 1 dash Bittered Sling Zingiber Crabapple Bitters

Shake all the ingredients with ice until well chilled, then strain over ice in a rocks (Old Fashioned) glass or in a teacup. Garnish with fresh citrus and grated nutmeg. Serves 1.

*Note: You can replace Bruce’s bespoke housemade carrot and fennel chai with any commercial chai. “Yunzhi” is a mushroom extract used in Chinese medicine to fight cancer; it is available in Asian markets and health food stores. For this recipe, mix two parts of maple syrup with one part yunzhi.