What Makes a Cocktail a Punch? A Dive into the History and Evolution of This Classic Drink

British sailors bring punch to London

Punch prevented scurvy because it contained citrus, which helped sailors survive the lengthy journeys. They were frequently over-provisioned, so when they returned to the ports in London, they brought some arrack from the East Indies and other ingredients for punch. Visiting the docks and sharing a bowl of punch with the sailors became a very popular trend. Investors would go to the ships they had jointly financed with their friends, sit on board, and take pleasure in this new shared beverage.

Punch made with East Indies arrack and West Indies rum emerged as the popular social beverage in London’s coffee houses during the mid-1600s following the Restoration, and these establishments eventually became the new meeting places. Furthermore, as Wondrich states, “you need something to come down on a little with all that caffeine.” Punch was very alluring to the owners of coffee shops because it was so new and not subject to taxes.

For hundreds of years to come, English aristocrats continued to favor punch as their preferred beverage. The ingredients, which included nutmeg, citrus, tea, sugar, and spirits, were pricey; the lemons alone cost eight dollars each. A three-quart bowl of punch in 1690s London cost half a week’s wages. Punch bowls evolved into a fashionable item to own and flaunt. There are stories of the supposedly wealthy commissioning punch bowls big enough for three kids to play in and using coinage melted down to make them.

Rum became the most popular choice for both Englands punch-guzzling aristocracy and for its sailors. As soon as England colonised sugar producing nations, The Royal Navy were quick to swap the daily allowance of a gallon of beer or pint of wine for half a pint of Jamaican rum. Not only did this smaller portion take up much less room on board but it didnt spoil on the long journeys. As rum was being produced throughout Englands new-found territories, from New England in America to Mauritius off the coast of Africa, it made its way back to Londoners then struggling to buy the French brandy theyd been used to as England waged its constant wars against France and Spain. When the ships docked from the Caribbean, as William Dampier wrote in his book of 1697 A New Voyage Around the World, they were “always well stored with rum, sugar and lime juice to make punch, to hearten their men when they are at work.”

In the tropical regions themselves, rum combined with sugar and lime, as Jeff Berry states in the introduction to Potions of the Caribbean, “made the nasty, brutish, short life of the average Caribbean combatant worth living.” While films like Pirates of the Caribbean portrayed cunning pirates in the Caribbean drinking straight from bottles, these same 17th and 18th century outlaws would have much rather had a bowl of rum punch. Numerous stories exist of merchant seamen being tricked with punch and then discovering themselves encircled by pirates. Yes, the notorious Captain Kidd was the one who bargained with the then-chief of England’s Caribbean forces over a privateer contract over rum punch.

The punch they drank is possibly known today, as pointed out by Richard Zacks in his book, The Pirate Hunter which cites an eyewitness to this meeting in 1688. The punch was supposedly made of “rum, water, lime-juice, egg yolk, sugar with a little nutmeg scrapd on top.”

Origins of the name punch

Punch is said to have come from the Hindi word for “five,” which refers to the customary amount of ingredients: nutmeg, sugar, rum, brandy, or arrack, water, and sour (lime or lemon).

“Someone said it originates from the Indian word for five because it contained five ingredients,” says David Wondrich. Regretfully, that man was merely briefly in India, and it was only an estimate. He never discussed it with any Indians, and since punch contains six ingredients, four ingredients, and a variety of other ingredients, I’m not as trusting of that assessment as I am of some others because it also refers to something short and stout, which is how I identify, and the barrels that everyone added were made from a half barrel that was similar to a punch barrel that was transformed into a punch. I believe the word “punch” originated more from the barrel than from the Indian word, but that’s just my speculation based on how the barrel was described and how it would be served. “.

A 500-liter short-and-broad cask known as a Puncheon today lends credence to David’s theory regarding the barrel. Tellingly Punchons are most identified with the rum industry.

But as David also says, “But who knows. The majority of those consuming early punches were sailors, and the majority of them lacked literacy. “.

Although the location and identity of the initial punch are unknown, renowned American author David Wondrich concurs that a British person was probably the one who delivered it.

Punch was first mentioned in writing in a letter written by Robert Addams, a British East India Company employee stationed in India, on September 28, 1632. “I hope you will keep good house together and drinkcke punch by no allowance,” he wrote in a letter to a colleague regarding their respective accommodations and companies. ” [from Punch by David Wondrich page 22].

Punch was first documented in 1638 by German manager Johan Albert de Mandelslo, who kept a journal in Surat, India, stating that the employees there prepared “a kind of drink consisting of aqua vitae, rose-water, juice of citrons and sugar.” “.

Spirits were not the sophisticated goods we have today, and rum—a new, inexpensive beverage brought about by Britain’s colonial interests—tended to be strong stuff. Punch emerged as a way of taming rum.

Wondrich continues the story, saying, “As far as we can tell, Punch originated in the British East India trade.” Though records on this kind of thing are rather shaky, English sailors ran out of wine and beer, and you can’t have a boat full of English people without some sort of beverage. Thus, an intelligent person thought, what if we could create fake wine out of spirits? When they arrived in East and South Asia, everyone there was drinking spirits; these were widely accessible spirits, such as Batavia arrack in Indonesia and coconut arrack in India. Someone then said, “Okay, let’s take that and let’s turn it back into wine, and how do you do that?” You add lemon juice to restore the acidity that has been distilled out, sweetness to balance it (since they liked sweet wines back then), and, perhaps most importantly, you dilute it again and add water to make something that is about the strength of wine. This is a delicious artificial wine that you can make with ingredients you already have on hand, that will keep for ages, or that can be found locally. This starts in the early 1600s with these British merchants. “.

RUM PUNCH | Caribbean Recipes

FAQ

What classifies a drink as a punch?

What is the difference between a punch and a cocktail?

What are the 5 components of punch?

What is the basic formula for punch?

How do you make a rum punch?

Add light rum, dark rum, pineapple, orange and lime juices, and grenadine into a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a Hurricane glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a maraschino or brandied cherry. The Rum Punch is a thirst-quenching cocktail, but also a representation of one of the oldest styles of cocktail ever created.

What is a rum punch cocktail?

The Rum Punch Cocktail is a tropical delight that will transport you to a sunny beach with just one sip. Made with a combination of white and dark rum, pineapple, orange, and lime juice, and a splash of grenadine, this cocktail is a perfect blend of sweet and tangy flavors.

What drinks make good punches?

Cocktails that make good punches include fruit juices, wines, and sodas. In other words, recipes with more nonalcoholic ingredients than liquor. Recipes like the planter’s punch that already have “punch” in the name are often good candidates for a party.

How do you make a cocktail punch?

Cocktail historian David Wondrich adapted this punch from an antique recipe. It fuses cognac, rum, port and Grand Marnier with strong-brewed black tea and oleo saccharum (the sweetened oils of lemon peels). In short, it’s not for the faint of heart. Assemble this lightly caffeinated bowl, and let your guests top each serving with soda or Champagne.