The word today is used to describe all forms of concoctions that can be churned up, professionally or at a home bar, using all and any ingredients that happen to be available. In that way a Punch can either be a planned or an unplanned effort. By sommelier Magandeep Singh
By now enough has been circulated on how that notoriously deadly of concoctions, the Punch, the one that seems to be smooth and gentle like a lilting lullaby but then brings on the high hard like an Oet concert and then the attached hangover, as if Thor were hammering away at your skull while chiding you with motherly, “I told you so” admonitions. Wow! quite a picture, that.
But yes that same punch is the one that has an Indian connection. A very major one at that and no I don’t mean how almost every patriotic (or even not exactly very patriotic) Indian manages to find no more than a degree of separation between anything famous, spectacular, or important and its alleged Indian-ness. I am talking about all the theories about how everyone and everything from Jesus Christ to Shakespeare, from the internal combustion engine to toasted bread and butter — is all somehow distilled down to being quintessentially Indian.
No, the Punch isn’t contrived Indian like that. It is Indian like Brahma, or bribery. Maybe shouldn’t have put them in the same sentence. But yes, punch is Indian. Even the word, punch, derives from the word, Paanch, meaning five, which was the number of ingredients in the original recipe: water, honey, lemon juice, spices and some of the good brew and I don’t mean just tea. Well, there were versions without alcohol which just included some fruit juice but lacked the quality as compared to one containing alcohol.
So what does a punch needIJ Well the alcohol provides the punchiness and you can spike it as you like. But more than the headiness, the base alcohol, unless you use vodka, will also impart the primary flavour to the mix. Dark rum is popular but you could easily substitute with a whisky or a flavoured white spirit like say Tequila or Pisco. Then you need sweetening and this would come from any of the possible sources jaggery, honey, fruit juices.
Anything else you choose to add here on will be considered embellishments and signature styling. Of course, the choice of alcohol initially and the fruit juice after would have already set a tactile course to the final blend but the options are still fairly limitless. At this point, I often use a liqueur, like say a bitter-almond flavoured or similar, and then a tinge of some bitters to finish it all off. Spices are a great idea too and cinnamon is a common one that turns up.
Don’t get too carried away, what works in a short cocktail may not always work as a punch unless the alcohol content is considerably brought down.
Final tip, make sure it’s well chilled. The big bowl is not conducive to temperature control so you will needs plenty of ice. And finally, find an ornate ladle with some nice cups to pass around. Now you have all the ingredients for a perfect punchy summer sundowner.