1. Punch it up!!!
I am currently reading the Alan Lewrie Napoleonic naval adventure series written by Dewey Lambdin. I
like historical fiction. But what does this have to do with wine you may ask? Sailors and their officers
drink a great deal. Besides, wine, rum and beer, sailors also enjoyed punch. Similarly, as we are in the
holiday season, many of us will provide punch to our guests. So I became curious to know the origin of
punch.
According to liquor historian David Wondrich, sailors were entitled to 10 pints of beer per day, but when
they sailed into the tropics, the beer spoiled, and that's when they turned to punch. Wondrich wrote the
book: “Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the flowing Bowl.” The oldest punch in his book is
called Meriton Latroon's Bantam Punch. It's made with a sinister-looking black liquor called arrack.
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in Asia, made from either the fermented sap of
coconut flowers, sugarcane, grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin. Other
ingredients include: ambergris (whale cholesterol), gula jawa or other dark, funky sugar, lime juice,
water and nutmeg.
Modern punch recipes are radically different. For one thing, they do not resemble the jet fuel as
previously described and typically contain moderate amounts of alcohol. After all, we do have social-
host responsibilities. While we normally think of offering fruit punch in summer (Sangria) and
Champagne punch during a New Year’s Eve party, punch is fun and can be part of any special occasion.
Google punch recipes and a huge choice appears. Here’s one of my favorites, The Mimosa Float:
Things you will need:
1 Quart of Sherbet Ice Cream (For best results use Orange)
2 Quarts of Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
2 Liters of Ginger ale

2. 2 Bottles of Champagne of your Choice
Prep your large punch bowl. You will want a ladle to serve with. Scoop your Sherbet ice cream into the
punch bowl. Don't worry about melting too much. Chill your orange juice, champagne, and ginger ale in
the refrigerator until serving. This will make sure it's nice a cool for the guests when they arrive.
Pour in your orange juice into the punch bowl. Stir it in with the ice cream. This will help blend the
flavors for serving. Next pour and stir in the ginger ale right into the punch bowl along with the chilled
champagne. Make sure everything is evenly stirred. When serving, you will find lumps of ice cream and
that's the best part.
Now believe it or not, there are a few tips and tricks:
1 Mix all ingredients in the order given in the punch recipe; if it sparkles, pour it in last, just before
serving and stir it sparingly to preserve the sparkle and fizz.
2 Use 'simple syrup' instead of sugar. For punch recipes, combine equal parts sugar and water in a
small saucepan, bring to a boil and continue cooking for a minute until the sugar is dissolved and the
mixture is clear.
3 Chill all ingredients before mixing.
4 Use larger blocks of ice or ice molds instead of small ice cubes. Small cubes melt quickly and
dilute the punch recipe unnecessarily.
5 Don't use the good stuff. Okay, don't use the great stuff. When it comes to liquor in party punch
recipes go with the less expensive choice. That being said, I like to use quality juices.
6 How much punch? A good rule of thumb is 10 people to the gallon.
Now remember punch should not be the strength of a cocktail. It's a social drink and you're supposed to
keep going back to the bowl. In this way, every time you refill your glass somebody else is there and you
make a new friend. Have fun, be jolly.