Woodruff Punch Recipe for Delicious May Drink

Author:
Thomas Sixt is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.
Here I show you my woodruff punch recipe.
The season for woodruff and woodruff punch is in Germany and Austria from April to the end of May.
During the last woodruff walk on a beautiful, sunny day at the end of April I could not resist and I started collecting woodruff.
The May punch is a typical spring punch from fresh woodruff.
It is a delicacy that will surely taste good to your treasure or your guests.
This is how “homemade” goes – we welcome spring!
Table of Contents
1. Recipe Woodruff Punch
Below I show you my guide for the classic May punch with cleaver.
This is woodruff punch with and without alcohol.
Let’s greet spring with a delicious drink…
Recipe Woodruff Punch
Cooked, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt.
Simple instructions for making punch with woodruff in the variants with and without alcohol.

Preparation Time
15 Min.
Ingredients
30 | stems | fresh woodruff (picked by yourself from the forest or purchased) |
1 | l | semi dry or dry white wine |
1 | l | Prosecco or dry sparkling wine |
Instruction

Prepare ingredients
Roughly select and clean the woodruff, pat dry and leave to wilt for a few hours.

Prepare essence
Pour into a tall glass of dry white wine and dip the wilted woodruff upside down.
The ends of the stems must not be in the wine.

Time definition
Let the woodruff infuse the wine for max. half an hour.
For the storage a brown glass bottle is suitable or one uses the woodruff essence immediately completely in the punch.

Filling
Fill the wine brew with the spirit of the woodruff into the glass bottle and put it in a cool place or use it immediately for the punch.

Enjoy
Woodruff wine essence in a bowl or individual glasses.
Fill with well chilled dry sparkling wine, prosecco or champagne.
Courses
Cousine
Keyword
2. Calories and Nutritional Values
3. Preparation and Ingredients for the Woodruff Punch
The woodruff’s name is cleaver.
Typical are the square smooth stems with several whorls on the elongated leaves.
The woodruff prefers to grow in the humus soil of a deciduous forest.
From about May onwards, the woodruff flowers with numerous white flowering stars.
I have seen woodruff not only growing wild but also already in sales.
Maybe you will find what you are looking for at your vegetable dealer…
A short explanation of the use of woodruff/cleaver:
- Don’t take too much of the woodruff wild herb.
- Let the woodruff wither a little, then the characteristic smelling and tasting coumarin is released.
- Let the woodruff steep in the wine for a maximum of 1/2 hour.
- Do not put the stems into the wine, but turn the plant upside down.
- Woodruff is known as a medicinal plant – too much of the coumarin can cause headaches, but too much alcohol as well 😉
Wine Info:
Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio…
Alcohol-free Version:
As an alcohol-free alternative you can also use naturally cloudy apple juice.
As a non-alcoholic alternative for Sparcling Wine and Prosecco you can use non-alcoholic sparkling wine or mineral water.


4. More Ideas
Comments, Cooking Questions and Answers
Below you can write to me directly.
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