Punch Notes from Donna
story & recipe by Donna Hecker
I have Grandma Bea’s pressed glass punch bowl, a 1920s wedding gift, still with its pedestal and most of the original cups. At least one cup is missing, allegedly broken by my older brother in a snit fit, and several orphaned ones have been adopted into the set.
The punch set came to live with our family when my grandmother entered a nursing home. After that, it rarely appeared outside the back of the kitchen pantry except for the occasional bridal or baby shower.
When my own mother died, I took possession of the punch set and it languished in the basement for years until our Holly Hill cooking studio opened. Suddenly it was the life of the party and we’ve been discovering and creating punch recipes ever since.
The word punch is believed to be from the Hindi or Urdu word meaning five (pā̃c or paantsch) for its five elements – sugar, spice, citrus, spirits and water. David Wondrich, author of Punch (2010) wrote that “From the 1630s it spread all over the world over the next twenty years, which is pretty quick considering it took eight months to sail back to Europe.”
For the next couple hundred years, punches were a focal point of communal gatherings, whether in taverns and inns or well-to-do private homes, and likely reached their heyday in the late 1800s. Beyond that, as cocktail culture ascended in the 20th century, punch became relegated to bridal showers, frat parties and church socials.
We’re happy to report that punch is making a comeback. Our latest favorite is based on a recipe we came up with for our Smorgasbord class, inspired by a punch Ouita made with Vishwesh Bhatt that called for soaking fresh pineapple and oranges in bourbon overnight.
We made a spiced brown sugar syrup and, with the addition of pineapple juice, orange Curaçao, and sparkling wine, had ourselves quite a merry little punch bowl.
Spice: cinnamon, star anise, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and ginger
Sugar: dark brown sugar
Citrus: orange
Spirits: bourbon, sparkling wine, orange Curaçao
Water: unsweetened pineapple juice
Welcome Punch Bowl Recipe
The day before:
Slice 6 oranges
Peel, core, and cut up 1 ripe pineapple
Place in non-reactive pitcher or bowl and cover with 1 (750ml) bottle Old Forester or bourbon of your choice
Make spiced brown sugar syrup:
Simmer 2 cups brown sugar and 2 cups water together until sugar dissolves. Add 1 teaspoon each of whole cloves and allspice, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 whole nutmeg, 1 star anise pod, and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (no need to peel it first) Simmer 5 minutes longer, then remove from heat and let stand covered for half an hour. Strain into a container and refrigerate until ready to use. If you don’t end up using it all for punch, it’s delicious over oatmeal, pancakes or fruit, in your morning coffee or an old-fashioned.
The morning of:
Slice an orange and place in a decorative ring mold or small bowl. Tuck in cherries, cranberries, strawberries or raspberries if desired. Cover with pineapple juice and place in the freezer.
To serve:
Combine in a large pitcher or bowl and stir well:
½ cup spiced brown sugar syrup
1 cup orange Curaçao or other orange liqueur such as Triple Sec, Grand Marnier or Cointreau
2 cups of the bourbon used to cover the fruit; don’t discard the fruit!
Unmold ice ring and place in punch bowl. Fill the center of the ice ring with some of the bourbon-soaked pineapple. Pour bourbon mixture into the bowl. Open a bottle of sparkling wine and top it all off.
Cheers!
Related Content
Peytonia Picnic Punch
Another punchy punch. Mix up a pitcher of this fruity, bourbon-spiked wine punch, adapted from the Peytonia Cook Book, written in 1906 by Atholene Peyton, Kentucky’s first Black cookbook author. Save this for the summer!
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