On Saturday, October 15, national organization Share our Strength hosted Baltimore’s Taste of the Nation at the Renaissance Hotel. The annual event brought the mixologist and culinary stars of the city together to fight child hunger with a three-hour fundraising extravaganza of eats and – especially of interest to us – drinks.

Dan Searing – the punch-revivalist partner of DC’s Room 11 and spirit portfolio manager of The American Still Life Collection – impressed the crowd round-for-round with cocktails like “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” and “White Tiger” (see recipes below). As highlighted in his new book, The Punch Bowl, the inspiration for these beverages comes from the communal drinking culture of port cities in the 18th Century. Punch found new life at 1950s office parties, and is again becoming popular today (check out our rundown of the the history of punch here).

Searing keeps true to punch’s classic ingredients, such as tea, East Indian spices, and chai. A White Tiger is cinnamon tinged spin on a White Russian, a thick and flavorful concoction you could find yourself reaching for after a hearty dinner. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, on the other hand, is bound to become a favorite for fans of Manhattans. With each sip, you increasingly imagine yourself in a film-noir classic, reaching for a trench coat, hat and last ticket out of Casablanca.

Perez Klebahn (of Mr. Rain’s Fun House) is one part Tony Robins and one part Sigmund Freud. Motivated by his passion for assisting people in finding their cocktail identity, his thorough tasting menu will do more than turn you into a martini or negroni devotee. You’re prompted to dig deeper into your own preferences with his “Garden Variety” or “To Autumn…” mixed drink flights. Klebahn uses house-infused liquors to create cocktails that excel in the realm of food pairing. Bell-pepper-infused Bombay Gin, Cocchi Americano Aperitivo, fresh citrus and honey syrup unite as the signature “Dover Alley.”

These cocktails were all made to support the non-profit, which promotes food education through programs like Cooking Matters and the “No Kid Hungry Campaign,” seeking to end child hunger by 2015. Individuals like Dan Searing and Perez Klebahn inspire us to follow our own passion while doing good, helping families, children and adults eat well, stay strong and share their strength.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

1 ½ oz Corsair Triple Smoke
½ oz Hum Botanical Spirit
½ oz pineapple juice
½ oz lime juice
½ oz simple syrup

Shake with ice and strain into an ice filled glass.

White Tiger

¾ oz Dancing Pines Rum
¾ oz Dancing Pines Chair Liqueur
¾ oz half and half

Combine ingredients over ice in a rocks glass and stir to combine.

Photos by Kevin Owens