Livorno Punch (Ponce alla Livornese)

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (29 ratings)

Serve in a Shot glass

Ingredients:
1 barspoon Powdered sugar (white sugar ground in mortar and pestle)
16 oz Boiling water
1 fresh Lemon peel
12 oz Caribbean blended rum aged 6-10 years
1 oz Espresso coffee (freshly brewed & hot)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Garnish: Dust with freshly grated cinnamon

How to make:

1. Place thick-cut coin-sized lemon zest in base of glass and cover with sugar. 2. Ideally, use the steam wand of a coffee machine to steam and moisten sugar while also warming glass (alternatively, add a splash of boiling water). 3. MUDDLE lemon and sugar in base of glass (with small muddler). 4. POUR rum into glass. 5. TOP with a shot of espresso dispensed straight into your cocktail from the machine.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 3/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10

Review:

Run and coffee with zesty lemon. A drink to challenge the Espresso Martini.

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History:

Said to date from the 1700s, this is the signature ponce (Italian for punch) of the Italian port city of Livorno on the west coast of Tuscany.

In a letter to his friend Nando, poet Giosuè Carducci (1835-1907) wrote: "We drank a lot of white, o Nando, we drank a lot of black punch and with profound knowledge, we never left a cup or glass without seeing the bottom."

If you want to properly experience a Ponce alla Livornese, then head to the Civil Bar in Livorno, a historic caffè founded in the 1890s, this is the drink's spiritual home.

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Matt’s Avatar Matt
21st November 2024 at 01:31
Fascinating little drink! I made with a ristretto shot drawn from a super-automatic machine, using Lavazza Super Crema (which I believe is a blend of arabica and robusta beans). Appleton 8 yr. Much more subdued than a shot of ristretto should be - it is nutty, with a bit of lemon nose when sipping (but not in the taste). Not sweet, and only a bit bitter (again, much more subdues than a ristretto shot). Excellent!
Matija Prelec’s Avatar Matija Prelec
11th June 2023 at 12:11
As a note, don't use your artisanal coffee for this. If it incluses words like "single origin" or "high grown" or whatever, it is not optimal here.

You want a classic, high roast level, "commercial" style where nowhere it utters the label "100% arabica".

You know what I mean here.

With such a robust coffee, this pleasantly balances the bitterness and brings interest, while those lighter, more fruity and acidic blends would throw the balance off.
Areum Jeon’s Avatar Areum Jeon
5th May 2022 at 09:29
It's a simple but wonderful drink!