Punch is sort of “old school” meaning it’s not really soda, not really juice and not completely a cocktail. It’s punch and we love it so much — especially on National Punch Day, every September 20. Today, break out your favorite punch bowl and celebrate with different-colored concoctions. But first, a brief punch history.
We have sailors of the British East India Company to thank for popularizing the spread of punch, which originated somewhere in India. Thanks to a rise in sea travel during the 1600s, the popularity of this delicious drink began to spread. Today, punch seems to be more a celebratory drink, served at special occasions. Whether store-bought or home-made, one thing is for sure, punch is outrageously good, especially on National Punch Day!
- 1632 – The first usage of the word “punch” goes back to 1632., first appeared in a letter written by Robert Addams on September 28, 1632.
- 1638 – A young German adventurer named Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo penned the oldest known punch recipe.
- 1655 – Jamaican rum came into use and the ‘modern’ punch emerged. By 1671, documents make references to punch houses.
- 1671 – Establishments dedicated to the distribution of punch began popping up all over England.
- 1934—Hawaiian Punch, a childhood favorite, first appeared on the scene. A.W. Leo, Tom Yates, and Ralph Harrison developed the first Hawaiian Punch recipe in a converted garage in Fullerton, Calif. They wanted a tropical-tasting syrup to add to their line of ice cream toppings sold under the trade name Pacific Citrus Products Company.
- 1938 – The U.S. Patent Office gave Leo’s Hawaiian Punch its trademark on June 9, 1938. The “Leo’s” was dropped several years later.
- 1946 – It wasn’t until 1946 — more than ten years after Hawaiian Punch’s debut — that it was finally marketed as a beverage.
1962 – Artist Martin Mandelblatt is credited with the creation of Punchy, who appeared as a cartoon character on television for the first time in February 1962. Punchy became an instant advertising success and a brand identifier for young people.- 1964 – Punchy’s “How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?” tagline personified the brand’s image and advertising, and was copyrighted in 1964
- 1992 – A clever presidential promotion campaign promoted Punchy as the favored candidate (“No one else has the punch”). While Punchy didn’t win the election, his popularity soared.
- A wide assortment of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, fall into the category of punch. Often made with a combination of fruit juice and a carbonated beverage, a punch is served at parties weddings and other celebrations in large, wide bowls known as punch bowls.
- The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch (meaning five). The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water and tea or spices. The original drink was named Paantsch.
- Punches are extremely common among parties for college and university students. These punches tend to be highly alcoholic and made with cheap ingredients..
- Largest Punch Bowl-world record set by Courvoisier and Bompas & Parr. They created “The Architectural Punchbowl”, a whole room transformed into a giant punchbowl holding 4,000 liters (136,000 ounces) of a new cocktail called ‘The Emperor’s Shrub.
- Punch bowls are the new bottle service. Instead of offering bottle service, some bars are opting to simply serve up a giant bowl of boozy punch to the entire table.
- According to some legends, Blackbeard’s skull was used as a punch bowl.
Sources:
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
. The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water and tea or spices.){kind=link}