By Dana Davis
While contemplating a drink for kids, I came across a recipe for St. Louis Blues Swizzle in my favorite cookbook; a handwritten family book of recipes that were written anywhere from 1970 to modern times.
I am uncertain why this drink is named St. Louis Blues Swizzle. This recipe is a non-alcoholic drink that does not have much in common with a St. Louis Blues cocktail.
The only recipe I could find for a St. Louis Blues cocktail contains Vodka, Blue Curacao or Schnapps mixed with lemonade and Sprite. This must be a newer version of the drink as Sprite is mentioned instead 7-Up.
Sprite was introduced in the 1960s as a competitor to 7-Up and became popular in the 1980s.
Swizzles are a sour drink with a similar composition to a punch that must be stirred with a ‘swizzle stick’, so the swizzle part fits since this is a punch recipe.
Punch has been served at a variety of social events for hundreds of years. According to Simon Difford, Difford’s Guide, the first recorded punch recipe dates from 1638 when Johan Albert de Mandelslo, a German manufacturer in Surat India, said that the workers made a kind of drink consisting of aqua vitae, rose-water, juice of citrons and sugar.
Without further ado, here is a family-friendly punch recipe for your next family gathering.
St. Louis Blues Swizzle
1–46 oz. can of pineapple juice
3 c. Grapefruit juice
3 pints Cranberry juice cocktail
6–7 oz. bottles of 7-Up
2 trays of 7-Up “ice cubes”
Make “ice cubes” by freezing additional 7-Up in refrigerator cube trays.
Mix pineapple, grapefruit and cranberry juice together.
Chill all ingredients.
At the beginning of your gathering, assemble the concoction in a chilled punch bowl. Slowly introduce the six bottles of 7-Up. Add the “ice cubes,” formed by freezing 7-up in refrigerator trays lastly.
In a world where mixology often steals the spotlight, it is gratifying to rediscover non-alcoholic drinks. The St. Louis Blues Swizzle invites us to celebrate the simple pleasure of sharing a flavorful, fizzy drink that carries the weight of tradition.
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