Juneteenth is a Federal Holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. It is observed on June 19, the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865. Food is central to the celebration of Juneteenth. From the groundbreaking book by Bryant Terry, Black Food, essayist Micheal Twitty succinctly writes, "we practiced culinary jazz and improvised, drawing on things we had always done since time began, classical things, endemic to Africa and things we composed with others in mind and creative flourishes dreamed up in the void...no matter where we go, the footsteps will keep coming with creative fire, the character of tradition and sense of the cool that made for food tradition armed with a sense of empowerment and renewal that make for fertile grounds for the footsteps of the children of Africa to come."

Try this excellent recipe for Red Summer Punch for your feasting table.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Hibiscus tea, brewed very dark and chilled

• 1 cup gin infused with hibiscus tea

• 1/2 cup cherry cinnamon simple syrup (or strawberry cinnamon, or raspberry cinnamon)

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• ¼ cup lime juice

• 1 teaspoon Kingfly orange bitters

Directions

• For simple syrup: Bring 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, and 2 cups dark, sweet cherries (or raspberries or strawberries) to a boil with two cinnamon sticks. Let boil for 4 minutes. When cool, strain into a jar and chill.

• For hibiscus-infused gin: place 4 hibiscus teabags in a large mason jar with a fifth of the gin of your choice. Let sit for at least 24 hours. Remove tea bags.

• Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher jar. Pour into tall glasses packed with ice. Sip slowly. 

Photography by Scott Goldsmith / Recipe and Styling by Keith Recker

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