This month, the most popular recipes on Punch either took a page from the history books—whether that’s 1944’s Cocktail Guide and Ladies’ Companion, or 2007’s Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash—or had a decidedly modern tack, using science and culinary techniques to transform highballs and aperitifs into high art. Here are the recipes you deemed best in July.
Arsenic and Old Lace
The Arsenic and Old Lace is a violet-hued Martini variation that originated in the 1940s, taking the name of the 1939 Joseph Kesselring play, which was subsequently adapted into a 1944 Frank Capra film starring Cary Grant. The original 1944 recipe calls for three parts dry gin to one part absinthe with three dashes each of dry vermouth and crème de violette, but Brandyn Shank of Nocturne in Denver gives it more of a traditional modified Martini structure and opts to pull back the absinthe to just a rinse.
Read More →Philadelphia Fish House Punch
As David Wondrich suggests in Imbibe!, Philadelphia Fish House Punch “deserves to be protected by law, taught in the schools, and made a mandatory part of every Fourth of July celebration.” It was born from a group of rebellious colonial Americans who founded a pre-Revolution social club called the Schuylkill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania, also known as the State in Schuylkill. Heady and heavy-handed with a rum and Cognac base, Fish House Punch is made for lazy summer afternoons.
Read More →Baco Tell
Sean Teague, one of the Best New Bartenders of 2026, calls on clarification, hydrocolloids, acid-adjusting and carbonation—hallmarks of his highly technical style—in this tropical vodka-based cocktail, while keeping it fun and playful. It’s inspired by the Baja Blast, after all. If you want to try this at home, Teague notes that the carbonation equipment can be found online or at restaurant/beverage supply stores.
Read More →Beuser & Angus Special
A Chartreuse sour from Berlin, the Beuser & Angus Special takes inspiration from the Last Word and the Ramos Gin Fizz. Created in 2007 by Gonçalo de Sousa Monteiro for fellow bartenders Bastian Heuser and Angus Winchester, the drink has gone on to become a modern classic.
Read More →Elephino Americano
For his Elephino pop-up, Jakob McCabe-Johnston created this drink as a riff on the Americano. In his original recipe, he created a Campari alternative with aromatics and frozen, roasted and macerated beets, clarified the yuzu juice and force-carbonated the drink. At home, for an easier alternative, you can use Campari, yuzu or lemon juice, and top with sparkling water. The finishing touch is an olive stuffed with Campari jello.
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