St. Cecilia's Punch

Thinly slice the pineapple into rounds, then cut the rounds into quarters.

Place them in a large nonreactive bowl.

Add the lemons and brandy and stir to combine.

Let sit at room temperature while you make the tea mixture.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Remove from the heat, add the tea leaves, and stir to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.Hold a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl with the pineapple-lemon mixture and strain the tea mixture into the bowl (if there are large flecks of tea leaves, line the strainer with a coffee filter before straining). Cover the bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.When ready to serve, transfer the fruit-brandy mixture to a 7-quart punch or serving bowl. Gently stir in the sparkling wine, club soda, and rum (do not overmix or your punch will be flat). Float the ice block in the punch and serve immediately.