I Tried Miss Patty's Founders’ Day Punch From Gilmore Girls
Here’s what goes into the boozy Stars Hollow drink.
A day in Stars Hollow requires a trip to Luke’s Diner for coffee. It’s the perfect caffeinated boost to jumpstart your adventure in Rory and Lorelai’s hometown. But if you’re looking for something a little stronger, might I suggest Miss Patty’s Founders’ Day Punch?
The boozy cocktail is featured in Season 5, Episode 18, when Rory, Paris, and Lane gather around the Stars Hollow History Museum to discuss their boy problems. According to Rory, it’s so strong that Miss Patty’s “leftover punch is used to remove tar from construction sites,” and Lorelai refuses to drink it until she’s had a loaf of bread, pound of crackers, and olive oil in her stomach.
Although these may not seem like rave reviews, I had to try the famed Gilmore Girls drink when I visited Stars Hollow at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood for the holidays. The alcoholic beverage is available until Jan. 5 when the Holidays Made Here event ends, and can be found at the Gilmore Girls smoothie bar next to the speakeasy from A Year in the Life.
The specialty drink menu includes character-themed smoothies as well, like The Lorelai with strawberry Pop-Tarts, the Luke mocha, and green apple soda for Lane Kim’s band, Hep Alien. As fun as those sound, I couldn’t pass up the chance to finally try Miss Patty’s punch for myself — despite not having any boy problems at the moment.
What’s In Miss Patty’s Boozy Founders’ Day Punch?
The exact recipe is never revealed in Gilmore Girls, so it was exciting to finally see what goes into the mysterious drink. According to the menu, Miss Patty’s punch ($18) is a mix of the following:
- Bourbon
- Pineapple juice
- Orange juice
- Grenadine
- Lime juice
- Garnish: a dried orange slice
If you’re making this at home, you can obviously get creative with your cocktail. Some Gilmore Girls fans have their own version of Miss Patty’s drink, like food blogger Dash of Evans who uses pineapple vodka instead of juice to make it more boozy.
Miss Patty’s Punch Really Is That Girl
After watching (and rewatching) Gilmore Girls, I was slightly nervous about trying Founders’ Day Punch because of how strong it’s supposed to be, but the one I tried IRL wasn’t terrible at all. In fact, it was delicious.
The fruity sip was like a whiskey sunrise, and reminded me more of the summer and spring episodes of Gilmore Girls than the winter ones. That was the only thing that threw me off a bit, but I enjoyed sipping this, especially since it got a bit warm in the middle of day, walking around Stars Hollow in southern California.
I finally understand why it was so easy for Rory, Lane, and Paris to drink a little more than they should have, because the bourbon blends in so well with the fruit juices that you almost forget it’s a cocktail. I highly recommend Gilmore Girls fans make this drink for themselves at home with their besties.
If you’re looking for something a little more seasonal for winter, Scott Patterson (aka Luke Danes) has a new hot chocolate ($20) in his Scotty P's Big Mug Coffee collection. The cute canister has a wintery drawing of Lorelai’s home on the back, which also includes a recipe for Luke’s mocha.
Just combine the hot chocolate mix with Scotty P's Luke’s Diner blend ($20) and your choice of milk. This is definitely the drink Rory and Lorelai are choosing this season, and I’ll be making it as I pretend I’m back in Stars Hollow once again. Once summer arrives, though, Miss Patty’s punch will be my new pool-lounging staple.
