Punch bars

For the Swedish liquor, see Punsch. Punch bars to be confused with punch drunk.

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. In the United States, federal regulations provide the word “punch” to describe commercial beverage products that do not contain fruit or fruit juice. The term is used to label artificially flavored beverages, with or without natural flavorings, which do not contain fruit juice or concentrate in significant proportions. The original drink in the Indian subcontinent was named paantsch. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century.

From there it was introduced into other European countries. When served communally, the drink is expected to be of a lower alcohol content than a typical cocktail. The term punch was first recorded in English documents in 1632. At the time, most punches were of the wassail type made with a wine or brandy base. But around 1655, Jamaican-produced rum came into use, and the “modern” punch emerged. By 1671, documents make references to punch houses. As the need for a single-serving punch became evident, the sling, composed of spirits, water, and a sweetener, was invented.

Non-alcoholic varieties, which are especially given to children as well as adults who do not drink alcohol, typically include a mix of fruit juice, water, and a sweetener such as sugar or honey. Lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, or other fruit-flavored carbonated sodas are often added. Commercial manufacturers distribute many types of “fruit punch” beverages. Historically, most spirit based early alcoholic punches were made using either arrack or rum.

There are many rum-based punches, including Planter’s Punch, Fish House Punch, Caribbean Rum Punch, and others. I will mention the true proportion of its constituent parts. To a quart of boiling water, half a pint of arrack is taken, to which one pound of sugar, and five or six lemons, or instead of them as many tamarinds as are necessary to give it the true acidity, are added: a nutmeg is likewise grated into it. Alcoholic punches are common among parties for college and university students. These punches tend to be highly alcoholic and made with cheap ingredients. Blow My Skull is a famous alcoholic punch drink that originated in mid-19th-century Australia that contains rum, porter, lime, sugar, and other ingredients.