punch me
obsessions pay off
One time while browsing the Crate and Barrel website, I came across the most beautiful punch bowl I had ever seen. This is a dramatic overstatement, because I am not of the generation that grew up with punch bowls at parties. I had, in fact, probably never seen or used a punch bowl in real life at that point. But I was instantly enamored, and over the year or so since I first saw the listing, I returned to admire pictures of the bowl repeatedly.
What stopped me from buying the punch bowl was not the cost, but rather the turf war I am in with my partner over kitchen space. We live in an older apartment that is carved out of a larger building, and while we are rich in square footage, there’s extremely minimal cabinet and shelf space. When I showed him the colorful punches we could serve in the modern, curving glass vessel, he looked at me and said, “We can get it if you can find a place to put it.” And on that point, I had to admit that he was right.
I largely gave up on buying a punch bowl until recently, when one of my friends found one while out at an antique store. She had us over for a party in the fall, and scooping out autumnal spiced cider into delicate little green cups was just as charming as I had made it out to be in my head. My punch bowl obsession was immediately relit, and I gave myself permission to buy one if I could source it secondhand. It’s net good, right? Circular economy? Reduce, reuse, recycle. Something like that.
For a while, my commitment to tempering my consumerism seemed impossible. Every punch bowl I came across on Facebook Marketplace or at thrift stores was wrong in some way. They were too old-school with their fruit patterns, or definitely contained lead, or were too big or not big enough. But every time I had the urge to just order the Crate and Barrel set, I resisted.
In the end, it paid off. A few weeks ago, my friend Facetimed me while she was in Amish country picking up a handmade cabinet. She asked me if I would be interested in a more mid-century modern style set she came across, a plain, deep bowl with silver trim. I was so charmed by idea of telling people how I got this bowl — a friend remembered my obsession and my nitpicky style preferences and got this for me! — that I said very quickly said yes.
On Friday, I forced myself to commit to casual hosting, ordering pizza for an Olympics watch party instead of cooking. The only thing I made myself was an Aperol spritz in punch form, mixing whatever ingredients came to mind in the new bowl. I felt like a little witch tending to my brew — more soda when it was too bitter, more seltzer when it was too sweet, more gin when the punch wasn’t strong enough. The punch was well-received, and lived up to my reputation of trying to kill people when I am allowed to bartend. And most importantly, is just the right size to serve a large party while still fitting onto our bar cart — no extra space required.
xx,
Annie
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perfect punch
Punch has such a fascinating history. The heyday of the punchbowl was 1950s entertaining, but it has long been a fixture of the cocktail world, dating back to British sailers in the East India Company. A traditional punch consists of five ingredients:
spirits
water
sugar
citrus
spice
According to drink historian David Wondrich, the word “punch” supposedly derives from the Hindi word for five, a reference to the number of ingredients. Another theory is that the name refers to a Puncheon, a type of barrel that was used to hold the drink when mixed. How does one become a drink historian? Putting that on my list of things to investigate going forward.
Anyways, my punch was decidedly not made according to this formula. It was instead inspired by this recipe from The Kitchn. I modified it by subbing prosecco for rose Töst, a tea-based drink that emulates wine notes quite well, to accommodate a friend with a wine allergy. I then spiked it with a heavy pour of gin to make up for the lack of wine. For future punches, I’m going to make my guests sign a liability waiver. I can’t be held responsible for what happens upon consumption. I just like making strong drinks — is that a crime?
A quick planning note: I’ll be taking a little one-week break this upcoming Tuesday with the holiday. Be back the week after!