SUMMER OF PUNCH

by Dave Winstanley
PIMM's O'CLOCK
This summer why not enjoy a touch of Pimms with a twist. At Mai Tai we are offering Pimms Cup Punch Bowls. Served in our vintage copper punch bowls.


Why not share a Punch of Pimms Cup with friends, check out my recipe below.

Also available is our Winter Punch bowl using Pimms No 3 Winter edition, based around a Brandy base rather than the traditional Gin base of the No 1 version.  With its full body and heavy citrus notes its ideal to provide a depth of flavour to our Punch.




PIMMS CUP
Pimms No 1
Larios 12 Dry London Gin
Fresh chopped strawberries
Fresh raspberries
Chopped orange.
Chopped cucumber
Large fresh mint leaves (slapped to break viens)
Fresh lemon juice
Homemade lemonade
Homemade Low-sugar syrup
A pinch of cinnamon.


Mix all ingredients in a punch bowl, serve with ice on the side, chilled glasses and great company. Enjoy.

History of Punch (Bowls)

The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch and the drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.
The original drink was named paantsch, which was derived from the Persian word panj meaning five. When creating a punch the following ingredients would be broken down into 5 categories, specifically rum punch which would be 'one of sour, two sweet, three of strong, four of weak and then a dash of bitters or spices.
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 sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early seventeenth century. From there it was introduced into other European countries.
The term punch was first recorded in British documents in 1632. At the time, most punches were of the Wassail type made with a wine or brandy base. But around 1655, Jamaican rum came into use and the 'modern' punch was born. By 1671, documents make references to punch houses


Recently Courvoiser Exclusif have been flying the flag for punch bowls with their summer of punch promotion which has helped bring the punch bowl back from kids party favourite to a serious cocktail category.