Seasonal sips that really pack a punch
Throwing a holiday do? Knock ’em out with a killer punch
If you’re wondering how to get your party started, it’s quite simple: Serve a bowl of punch.
Now, we’re not talking sickly sweet kid stuff; nor would we consider the jet fuel you might remember from your college days. A proper punch is elegant and balanced, a sophisticated sipper, a hassle-free godsend for a harried host, and one of the great classic libations.
“I think the best thing about it is it was a drink designed for sharing,” says Grant Sceney, the creative beverage director at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and former Diageo World Class Canada winner.
Unlike the cocktail, which is designed in single portions, punch has always been meant for large, merry gatherings.
It was introduced to England in the early 1600s by the sailors and other employees of the East India Company, along with the tea and spices they found on their journeys through exotic lands. From there, it spread around the world.
“The word punch came from the word ‘panch’ in Hindi, which means five,” Sceney says, noting that punch traditionally has five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water or tea, and spice. “That’s where the word punch, as in a punch in the face, came from, too, because a hand has five fingers.”
For many years, centuries even, good hosts were admired for serving a generously flowing bowl, filled with only the finest spirits and wine.
“At first, they used brandy and wine as a base because it’s all they had at the time, until rum was produced in the Caribbean, and then they had rum punch,” Sceney says.
It was in the Caribbean, too, that the formula for punch was more fully defined.
“If you go to Barbados, there is a saying: One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong, four of weak,” Scene says. That translates to one part lime juice, two parts sweetener, three parts rum, four parts water; you can, of course, create your own signature punch by mixing it up with whatever ingredients you prefer, lemon instead of lime, for instance, or maple syrup instead of sugar.
As for the fifth element, just add the spice as you like — dust freshly grated nutmeg on top of the drink, perhaps, or use ginger ale as your “weak” component.
In the Caribbean, punch has typically been enjoyed as an aperitif; in Europe, it’s more of a celebratory drink, especially at Christmas. Indeed, there are many festive punches the world over, including the spiced fruit punch known as ponche navideño in Mexico and the wine-based Austrian New Year’s Eve punch.
“There’s a lot of variations around the world because it’s easy and delicious and it just makes sense,” Sceney says.
If you are planning to make punch this holiday season, he has some tips for you:
Make the punch base the day before and store it in bottles in the fridge. Keep everything well chilled until you serve it. Presentation is key. Serve punch in a big, beautiful punch bowl with pretty glasses or cups. If you don’t have a punch bowl, pour it from elegant decanters. Make a big block of ice; it’ll keep your punch icy cold without diluting it. If you like, use tea instead of water in the ice, or add sliced fruit to it for a dramatic effect. Add carbonated elements like soda or sparkling wine at the very last minute so they don’t go flat. Consider making an oleo saccharum for the sweetening agent. Translated as “sugar oil,” it is a blend of sugar and essential oils from citrus peels. Just place lemon, orange and/or grapefruit peels in a vacuum-sealed bag along with some sugar and keep in a warm place for a day or two until the oils are expressed. (You might need to muddle the peels a little to get them going.) And don’t forget: The party isn’t over until the bowl is empty.