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What should you serve your holiday guests? Consider punch
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Punch is tasty. Punch is fun. Punch is easy. Punch is festive. Punch is sociable. Punch is classic.Did I mention easy?
If you’re planning a holiday gathering, consider punch. Think about offering several different ones. Make fancy ice molds. Be creative, have fun.
A good way to moderate alcohol consumption at a party, but with a light touch, is to serve only punches, including at least one made with no alcohol.
Although drinking from a communal bowl goes back to prehistory, the English word ‘punch’ goes back about 375 years and describes a specific kind of drink, not just the practice of making a big batch of something and serving it from a bowl, although that was always part of it too.
“Strong waters” (i.e., distilled spirits) were just starting to emerge in Europe in the mid-17th century. In England, punch was the first big drink craze based on a distilled spirit. It was a custom the English brought back from India. One story says the name comes from the Hindi word for “five,” because punch always has five ingredients: arrack, water, citrus fruit, sugar and spices. That story has been told for a long time, even though it can’t be proved and has its doubters.
What is arrack? It was a spirit, made in India, which though generally made from fruit or sugar cane could be made out of anything from coconut milk to mare’s milk. You never knew and that wasn’t important.
The arrack exported from India to England in the 17th century was nothing special, as early attempts at neutral spirits went, but you know how people are about something expensive from far, far away. Arrack punch, or ‘rack punch,’ became the standard for authenticity and conspicuous consumption among degenerates and upright citizens alike for the next century.
Although not much arrack made it to the New World, punch did. Rum usually was the spirit of choice over here. Many of the popular party punch recipes that have survived into modern times are based on early Caribbean recipes.
When it comes to punches, ancient or modern, recipes are more or less superfluous. First, pick a spirit. Vodka is a good substitute for arrack, but brandy and rum are popular, and whiskey, especially bourbon, is not unknown. Next, toss in some citrus juice; orange for body, lemon and lime for pucker, grapefruit, tangerine, whatever. Keep it simple. Give it some sparkle with seltzer or lemon lime soda. Taste often and make adjustments as necessary. Garnish it with fruit slices and keep it cold with a big chunk of ice.
A simple mixture of vodka, juice and ginger ale combines all of the elements – even a little spice (the ginger) – of the earliest punches. Substitute bourbon for more flavor.
Here’s a perfect holiday punch: Combine 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 cups of lime juice, a 750ml bottle of peppermint schnapps, and a 2L bottle of club soda. Chill with a big block of ice, and hang candy canes around the side of the bowl.
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