Punches

Punches are drinks for sharing: a large bowl or pitcher filled with spirit, citrus, sugar, spice and a lengthener such as tea, water or sparkling wine. This category covers traditional rum punches, planter's punch, sangria-style drinks and modern party punches. Each recipe gives you quantities for a group, explains how to prepare it ahead and shows how to keep it cold without watering it down.

14 cocktails

A drink with a long history

Punch is one of the oldest mixed drinks in the Western tradition. It is generally traced to the seventeenth century, when sailors and traders of the English East India Company encountered it, and it became a social drink in Britain and its colonies long before the single-serve cocktail appeared. The word is often linked to a Hindi word for five, after five ingredients, although that origin is not proven.

The classic structure

A traditional punch combines five elements: strong (spirit), weak (water, tea or juice), sour (citrus), sweet (sugar or syrup) and spice (nutmeg or other spices). An old Caribbean rhyme for rum punch gives the proportions as one of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak. Treat that as a starting point and adjust to taste.

Preparing ahead

Keeping it cold

Use one large block of ice rather than cubes. Freeze water in a loaf tin or bowl the day before. A large block melts slowly, so the punch stays cold and dilutes gradually. Serve in small cups of about 100 to 120 ml, and label the bowl clearly if it contains alcohol so guests know what they are drinking.