Punch
The ancestor of all cocktails: large-format communal drinks combining spirit, citrus, sugar, water, and spice. Punch predates the individual cocktail by over a century.
Formula
Spirit + Citrus + Sugar + Water + Spice
Classic ratio: 1:2:3:4:spice
História
1600s
· India / British Navy
British sailors and East India Company traders created punch in the early 1600s, likely from the Hindi 'panch' meaning five (the number of ingredients). Punch bowls dominated social drinking for 200 years.
Key Variations
Planter's Punch, Fish House Punch, Chatham Artillery Punch, Milk Punch
