1869 Haney's steward & barkeeper's manual a complete and practical guide for preparing all kinds of plain and fancy mixed drinks and popular beverages .. (1869)

STEWARD AND BARKEEPER'S MANUAL.

MIXED DRINKS AND HOW TO MAKE THEM.

— PUNCH.

1.

This we believe to be the oldest of all made drinks. Of its origin we are unable to give any reliable testimony. How many a blessing spoken over night, and how many an anathema spoken in the morning, have fallen upon the head of the unconscious individual who first brewed this insidi- ous and seductive promoter of conviviality in mankind ? So many are the different methods employed in mixing punch, that no imperative rules can be given even affecting the sweetness or acidity of the mixture, as tastes differ materially in all things. In making hot punch, it is con- ceded that it is better to put in the liquor before adding the water ; and in cold punch vice versa. But really we do not see why a distinction should be made between the two. The precise proportion of spirit and water is like the amount of sugar or syrup used, a matter of preference determined by the palate. A successful punch is where all the ingre- dients are so amalgamated that no single one is more per- ceptible than another. This is what bon-vivants claim to be the secret of punch-brewing. A system long in vogue is where the lumps of sugar are rubbed upon the rind of the lemon to extract its flavor, thereby causing the vessels that contain the essence to become broken, and the con- tents absorbed. But this process is laborious, and seldom followed by the best punch mixers, save when a goodly number are to be supplied, 2— SCOTCH WHISKY PUNCH.

The sugar should first be thoroughly dissolved in the