Punch (drink)


The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to the United Kingdom in the early seventeenth century, and from there its use spread to other countries. Punch is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.
In the U.S., federal regulations provide the word "punch" to describe commercial beverage products that do not contain fruit or fruit juice. The term is used to label artificially flavored beverages, with or without natural flavorings, which do not contain fruit juice or concentrate in significant proportions. Thus a product labeled as "fruit punch" may contain no fruit ingredients at all.

History

The word punch may be a loanword from Hindi पाँच, meaning "five", as the drink was frequently made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. Some believe the word originates from the English puncheon, which was a volumetric description for certain sized barrels used to transport alcohol on ships.
The drink was brought to England from India by sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early 17th century. From there it was introduced into other European countries. When served communally, the drink is expected to be of a lower alcohol content than a typical cocktail.
The term punch was first recorded in British documents in 1632. At the time, most punches were of the wassail type made with a wine or brandy base. But around 1655, Jamaican rum came into use, and the "modern" punch emerged. By 1671, documents make references to punch houses.
As the need for a single-serving punch became evident, the sling, composed of spirits, water, and a sweetener, was invented.

Variations

Non-alcoholic

Non-alcoholic varieties, which are especially given to children as well as adults who do not drink alcohol, typically include a mix of fruit juice, water, and a sweetener such as sugar. Lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, or other fruit-flavored carbonated sodas are often added. It also often contains slices or chunks of actual fruit such as oranges and pineapple. The non-alcoholic versions are typically served at school dances, church functions, picnics, and other similar social occasions.
Commercial manufacturers distribute many types of "fruit punch" beverages. These are usually colored red. Despite the name, most brands contain only a small fraction of actual fruit juice; the major constituents are typically sugar or corn syrup, citric acid, and artificial flavors. They may also be carbonated or nonalcoholic cocktail mixers. Hawaiian Punch, Hi-C and Minute Maid are three of the better-known brands in the US. Other related drinks include Kool-Aid powdered drink mix, fassionola, and Tiki Punch.

Alcoholic

Historically, most spirit based early alcoholic punches were made using either arrack or rum. Bajan rum punch is one of the oldest rum punches and has a simple recipe enshrined in a national rhyme: "One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four of Weak." That is: one part lime juice, two parts sweetener, three parts rum, and four parts water. It is served with a dash or two of Angostura bitters and nutmeg.
There are many rum-based punches, including Planter's Punch, Fish House Punch, Caribbean Rum Punch, and others. Arrack based punches were included in Jacob Grohusko's 1910 and Charles Mahoney's 1912 bartenders guides, and an early recipe for arrack punch was written by Pehr Osbeck, Olof Torén, and Carl Gustaf Ekeberg in their 1771 book, A Voyage to China and the East Indies:
Alcoholic punches are common among parties for college and university students. These punches tend to be highly alcoholic and made with cheap ingredients. They may be referred to by names such as "grain punch" or "Jungle Juice". Some exclude additional water altogether and have 30% alcohol by volume or more.

Punches around the world

Australia

is a famous alcoholic punch drink that originated in mid-19th century Australia that contains rum, porter, lime, sugar, and other ingredients.

Barbados

Bajan Punch is made with rum, lime juice, cane sugar, nutmeg, and bitters. Falernum liqueur is also frequently added, which was itself an early form of punch made by steeping cloves with rum, lime, and other ingredients.

Caribbean

, literally meaning "small punch", is a rum-based punch that is especially popular in Martinique and other French speaking islands of Caribbean. The drink is traditionally made with white rhum agricole, lime, and cane syrup.

England

Cups is a style of punch, traditionally served before the departure of a hunting party in England. It is served at a variety of social events such as garden parties, cricket and tennis matches, and picnics. Cups are generally lower in alcohol content than other punches and usually use wine, cider, sloe gin, or liqueurs as the base. They often include quantities of fruit juices or soft drinks.
A well-known cup is the Pimm's Cup, using Pimm's No.1 and British-style lemonade at a ratio of 1:2; a squeeze of lemon; then add orange, lemon and apple slices; a couple of cucumber wedges; and decorate with borage flowers.

Germany

Punch refers to a mixture of several fruit juices and spices, often with wine or liquor added and mostly topped with champagne or sparkling wine. Punch is popular in Germany and with many Germans who emigrated to America. Parties on New Year's Eve often include a Feuerzangenbowle. This is a punch made of red wine and flaming overproof rum, poured over a Zuckerhut, a large conical sugar cube placed in the "Feuerzange". It's similar to mulled wine. Another warm punch, popular with hunters or others spending time in the cold is jagertee punch.

Indian Subcontinent

Arrack based punches were historically popular in India and Sri Lanka, where it was distilled from toddy, the wine made from sap of various palm trees.

Korea

is a term for traditional Korean punches. Sujeonggwa is a traditional punch made from dried persimmons, cinnamon, and ginger.

Mexico

Ponche is served during the Christmas holiday season. It is served warm. Some ingredients used to make ponche are more seasonal and even exotic. Fresh tejocotes, known to the Aztecs as Texocotli are required by most. Tejocotes are the fruit of the hawthorn tree and resemble crab apples; they have a sweet-sour flavor and an orange to golden yellow color. Other ingredients in ponche are prunes, pears, dry hibiscus, star anise, and sugar cane pieces.

South America

In Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is used to drink Clericot which is a similar drink to Punch being a mix between wine or cider and different kind of citrus and tropical fruits such as orange, melon, mamon, apple, pineapple, diced canned peaches and/or strawberry during summer festivities such as New Year and Christmas. Is served in a pitcher. In Paraguay is served in a clay pot called kambuchi.
Punch is a mix between white wine and different kind of fruits, such as diced canned peaches.

Sweden

"Punch" is typically called :sv:Bål |bål in Sweden, and is commonly served in a bowl at social functions. Bål as thought of broadly should not to be confused with Swedish Punsch, which is a specific type of alcoholic punch using arrack that is considered the national drink of Sweden. Due to its popularity the arrack punch saw commercial bottling in 1845, and became known more broadly outside Scandinavia as the liqueur Swedish punsch.
Dragoon punch was popular in Sweden and Norway in the early 1900s, and added both stout and beer to brandy, champagne, and sherry.

United States

Some claim Planter's Punch was invented at the bar of the Planters' House hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. The recipe of Planter's Punch varies, containing some combination of rum, lemon juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, orange juice, grenadine, soda water, curaçao, Angostura bitters, and cayenne pepper. The first known print reference to Planter's Punch was in the August 8, 1908 edition of The New York Times:
This recipe I give to thee,

Dear brother in the heat.

Take two of sour

To one and a half of sweet,

Of Old Jamaica pour three strong,

And add four parts of weak.

Then mix and drink. I do no wrong —

I know whereof I speak.

Southern bourbon punch is a drink closely associated with Kentucky and other Southern states. Sweet bourbon punch is made with sweet tea, citrus flavors and bourbon whiskey. Bourbon is named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, and each year during the Kentucky Derby, recipes for bourbon punch abound.