Punch Origins

The beginning of human history-1850s

    Humans have likely been mixing alcohol with other ingredients since humans had discovered alcohol in our first civilizations. People have drank socially in nearly every major global culture in one way or another. In America, modern mixology has roots in the Europeans who colonized our shores. The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower brought liquor with them to Plymouth. Right about the time that America was being colonized, it was very fashionable to drink punch in Europe, particularly among the British. There was a belief that drinking still water could be dangerous. This meant that punch could provide a “safe” alternative for hydration at gatherings. The word itself has roots in the word “paunch,” which means “five” in Hindu, having been popularized by British servicemen in India. The five ingredients of punch were traditionally spirit, lemon, sugar, water, and spice. Punch was useful to sailors because their beer would go flat in warm temperatures and the other ingredients (liquor, citrus, and spice) were easily accessible on large varieties of foreign soil. American drinking culture before the Golden Age was devoid of the cocktail. At a drinking establishment, a patron could most likely order liquor, wine, or beer. Punch was very much a social endeavor, something people organized for a party beforehand, and not something to be ordered at a tavern.