Voting and Punch

We're thinking about going and trying to vote this morning. And that's all I'll say on the subject of present-day politics. I've been thinking lately about Christmas and what I want to do with my decor. One of my sisters in California is coming with her clan for the holidays and we want to show the house off to best advantage. Apparently, she and her husband saw it when it was in escrow and were not impressed. She has seen it since (and claims to have changed her mind on that score) but her husband has not.

For some reason, I have a hankering to buy a beautiful punchbowl this year and make a traditional punch. This morning, I went online looking for a recipe for George Washington's favorite punch. It is called Fish House Punch after the old Philadelphia club where he is said to have introduced it. They say that Washington couldn't get enough of it when he was out of earshot of Martha.

In a large punch bowl dissolve 3/4 pound of sugar in one quart of water.
Then add:
1 quart of lemon juice
2 quarts of dark Jamaican Rum
1 quart of brandy (some say cognac instead)
4 oz of peach brandy
Place a large block of ice in the mixture and allow to brew for about two hours, stirring occasionally.