Whitman - Parties Around a Punch Bowl

Parties
Around a
Punch
Bowl

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

Parties Around a Punch Bowl

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2018 Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

Photographs 2018 as noted with photos

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-4891-8

For my little ones, JR and Millie.
Thanks for testing so many punch and treat recipes
and for always being the life of the party.

One of the best things about punch is that you cant mess it up! It is meant to be mixed together, tasted, adjusted, and added to during the party. If you run out of one ingredient during the course of the party, you can even substitute something else and send the flavor in a different delicious direction. Punch is an evolving concoction that continues to change until the party is over.

One of the most enjoyable things about planning a party with punch is choosing the bowl and cups. Using a punch bowl has wonderful benefits, from bringing people together to the ease it provides a hostess, who wont have to fill glasses on her own all night. I like to serve punch in small cups so that guests are required to make frequent trips to refill. It keeps the party moving!

Thinking back to special occasions in my childhood, I immediately think of the sparkly punch that I enjoyed. Family reunions, weddings, church get-togethersthe punch bowl was always there and I looked forward to it. Serving punch from a gorgeous glass bowl with a glass or silver ladle was a sweet yet practical way to serve a large gathering. The table with the bowl and cups was a fun place to say hi to an old friend or meet a new one. The punch bowl was perfect for any party. But somehow, as I grew up, these delicious mixed batches started to disappear. The punch bowl was rarely pulled out of the silver closet, while signature drinks and specialty cocktails started to appear.

After spending several decades in the cupboard, the punch bowl has made a sparkling comeback! And this time around, it has the added element of nostalgic charm. As a host, you will find that it relieves the hard work of constantly mixing drinks for your guests. As a guest, you will enjoy finding a natural gathering spot to start a new conversation. And lets remember that the small cups that sit alongside the punch bowl were originally designed to keep punch lovers from overindulging too quickly; there is still something to be said for that.

Photo 2018 by JerSean Golatt.

Photo 2018 by John Cain Sargent.

The punch bowl has a rich history filled with great stories of celebrations. Some social historians believe that it first showed up in India long before the English arrived there in the early seventeenth century. The first concoction was made from five ingredients: a spirit, sugar, lemon, water and spices or tea. It was referred to as paanch, which is Hindi for five. In the early seventeenth century, the English sailors of the British East India Company brought the punch back to England.

It didnt take long for the punch to catch on in England and spread to other European countries. Ceramic, porcelain and silver punch bowls became popular serving pieces and gradually became more elaborate. Some had lids; others had decorative stands. Some had matching ladles and cups for serving. Many were made for specific celebrations of special occasions and included elaborate inscriptions to commemorate successes, similar to a trophy.

The popularity of punch in English society is obvious from this nineteenth-century observation in Robert Chambers's Book of Days, 1864:

The punch-bowl was an indispensable vessel in every house above the humblest class. And there were many kindly recollections connected with it, it being very frequently given as a present. No young married couple ever thought of buying a punch-bowl; it was always presented to them by a near-relative.

Just as today, there were occasions when hosts and hostesses got creative and found alternative vessels for serving their favorite punch recipes. There are rumors of even fountains, boats and bathtubs being used on grand occasions as far back as the seventeenth century.

Although todays celebrations might not be as large or as grand as those punch parties of the past, the camaraderie and festivity that surround the punch bowl have not waned. Todays parties around a punch bowl are filled with style, color and creativity. We use punch bowls to celebrate all types of occasions, from formal to casual, and we have even stretched the ways we use our punch bowls.

In the pages that follow are some of my favorite ideas for punch bowl parties, along with recipes and tips for throwing a lively, memorable party with the punch bowl as a centerpiece for the table and for gathering guests. My favorite punch recipes stem from the sparkling citrus punch I enjoyed at church and family gatherings as a young girl. Ive played with punch concoctions over the years and am thrilled to share what I have learned. Each libation that includes alcohol also has an alcohol-free alternative. There are recipes for appetizers or sweet treats to serve with the punch.

At the heart of all punch recipes are five basic elements: alcohol, acid, sugar, spice and water. You can play with all of these in inclusion and strength to find a recipe that works for you. It only takes two of these elements to make a punch!

One of the great things about a punch is that the recipe is always looseand that is my kind of recipe! It is really hard to mess up a punch. The idea is that as the evening goes on, the punch will evolve as you refresh it. You might start the evening heavier on the alcohol, and as the night moves on, you might give the juice a longer pour instead. It is okay to let it continue to change and let your guests enjoy the different variations.

Photo 2018 by JerSean Golatt.

Simple syrup is an extremely versatile ingredient that can be used in baking as well as crafting cocktails or punches. I use simple syrup to keep my baked goods moist and flavorful in addition to infusing a seamless sweet kick to drinks.

Why simple syrup? The answer is fairly simple. If youre looking to sweeten your drink, there are several options. One is to add sugar, but this will result in a grainy texture and you risk the sugar not being fully dissolved, thus creating a film at the bottom. Honey can be used as a natural sweetener, but again, it might not fully mix with the other components, or it will become a slightly thick texture in your drink.

The solution? Heat sugar and water together so the sugar completely dissolves. Simple syrup blends into whatever concoction you are making, and it also allows a seamless blending medium for any flavor infusion that you might want to include. Here is the method along with some ideas for infusions: