Private Events Manager Greg is back this week to help you dive into summer with a splash in the punch bowl for this week’s Friday Know-It-All!

Hey folks, Private Events Manager Greg here for another edition of our recurring feature “Greg’s Grog Blog,” in which we pilfer a page from the “Jeopardy” archives and splash in for a deep dive on some Potent Potables. Has it been since 2022 since the last one? Can a feature you haven’t read in three years be called recurring? We’re explorers of the furthest regions of experience; who can say?

As of today we’re bringing our big Grad and Prom season to a close in our Private Events department. This turned my mind toward the ubiquitous fixture at such events: the punch bowl!

Punch has a centuries-old history (as most drinks do — hydration is important) but came westward via employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century. The name “punch” is said to source from the Hindi for “five,” reflecting the five traditional ingredients: water, sugar, juice from a lemon or lime, spices, and booze. English documents first record the word in 1632, where it is used to refer to wassail. There is dispute over the name’s origin, though, as there’s not much documentation of the drink’s existence in India. Many source the name to puncheon, which was the name of a barrel size (still!) used to transport rum.

A recurring quote from the first Greg’s Grog Blog emerges once again from the history of grog, and can be quickly memorized so you can get your party proportions right every time: “One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong, Four of Weak.” That’s fruit juice, sugar, booze, and water. Spices don’t get to go in the rhyme because it’s hard to find a rhyme for cinnamon and nutmeg, I guess.

As punch sloshed its way through culture, it necessitated a new category of drinking accessories. Fancy punch bowls became status symbols, and the centuries-long history of the drink has led to countless variations that are still highly prized by some collectors today. Personally, I’m partial to the Marty Moose set inspired by “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

If you’ve spent any time in a church basement (or fellowship hall, if you’re fancy) your first association with punch might be a frothy film on top from a floating ring of sherbet. Get ready to bring this article full circle! Pun richly intended.

“Sharbat” is a Hindi and Farsi word used to describe citrusy cordials made from macerated citrus peels and sugar. They can also be called “oleo saccharum,” reflecting the oil and sugar of the mixture. The resulting concoctions are often added to punches as the fruit/sweet ingredient. So, when you plop in a dozen scoops of rainbow sherbet (or sherbert if you’re nasty) you’re participating in a centuries-old culinary tradition.
Thanks for reading, and if you’re getting folks together for a gathering around a punch bowl of any size, don't hesitate to reach out to book a Private Event!