Punch

Punch is a general term for any of a wide assortment of mixed drinks, either soft or alcoholic, often rum, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was brought from India to England in the early seventeenth century, and from there it was introduced into other countries. Punch is typically served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls.

The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch and the drink was made from five different ingredients: spirit, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. The original drink was named paantsch, which comes from the Parsi word panj for five. The word "five" ultimately from Sanskrit panchan-s.

Alternatively, it may have derived from the word puncheon, a cask that held 72 gallons, from which a punch bowl could be made.

The drink was brought back from India to England by the sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early seventeenth century, and from there it was introduced into other European countries.

The term punch was first recorded in British documents dating back to 1632. At that time, most punches were of the Wassail type, or with a wine or brandy base, but by around 1655, when Jamaica came out with rum, the 'modern' punch was born and by 1671, there were references to punch houses.

Today, many soft drink manufacturers distribute varying types of "fruit punch" beverages. These are usually colored red and despite the name, most brands garner only a small fraction of their flavor from actual fruit, the majority coming from sugar or corn syrup, citric acid and artificial flavors.

Cups

Cups are another type of punch. An English tradition, served before the departure of a hunting party, but today are served at a variety of social events such as garden parties, cricket and tennis matches and at picnics. Cups are generally lower in alcohol to punches and usually have wine, cider, sloe gin, or other low alcohol liqueur as the base, and often include quantities of fruit juices and/or soft drinks. One well known cup is the Pimm's Cup, using Pimm's №1 and British-style lemonade at a ratio of 1:2, a squeeze of lemon juice, then add orange, lemon and apple slice, a couple of cucumber wedges and decorate with borage flowers.