A short presentation by XAvier Padovani sponsored by Hendrick's Gin at Tales of the Cocktails in 2009, New Orleans on Punch and Cocktails with literature

1. PUNCH
Quick background, India origins
An interesting story, a Punch “World Record” 1694
Charles Dickens' punches & Victorian drinking
Convivial Dickens, Edward Hewett & W.F. Axton, 1926
Drinking with Dickens, Cedric Dickens
THE GIN SHOP, George Cruikshank,, illustration,
Oliver Twist 1837-39
THE BAR OF THE “SIX JOLLY FELLOWSHIP PORTERS”
Marcus Stone, illustration, our Mutual Friend, 1864-65
THE BARMAID, Gavarni, illustration, Albert, Smith, Gavarni in
London, 1849
America & Punch
Cocktail into punch

2. THE DRINK WAS BROUGHT
BACK FROM INDIA TO
ENGLAND BY THE SAILORS
AND EMPLOYEES OF THE
BRITISH EAST INDIA
COMPANY IN THE EARLY
SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
FROM THERE IT WAS INTRODUCED INTO OTHER
EUROPEAN COUNTRY.

3. The word
THE WORD PUNCH IS
APPARENTLY A LOANWORD
FROM HINDI.
THE ORIGINAL DRINK WAS
NAMED PAANTSCH, WHICH IS
HINDI FOR "FIVE”.

4. THE DRINK WAS MADE FROM
FIVE DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS
SPIRIT
SUGAR
LEMON
WATER
TEA OR SPICES

5. An interesting story
“World Record” 1694
Edward Russell,
1st Earl of Orford
1653 –1727
Russell became First Lord of the
Admiralty in 1694
Officer party in 1694 with a giant
punch: About 8000 / 10 000 litres
+/-

6. KING OF THE PUNCH the 15th October 1694
Admiral Edward Russell,
then commanding the
Mediterranean
fleet, gave a grand
entertainment at Alicante.
The tables were laid under
the shade of orange-trees,
in four garden-walks
meeting in a common
centre, at a marble
fountain, which last, for
the occasion, was
converted into a
Titanic punch-bowl.

7. The record for history's largest
cocktail
Four hogsheads of brandy (250 Gallons = 1136 litres), one
pipe of Malaga wine (125 Gallons=568 litres), Twenty
gallons of lime-juice (90 litres), twenty-five hundred
lemons, thirteen hundredweight of fine white sugar,
five pounds' weight of grated nutmegs, three hundred
toasted biscuits, and eight hogsheads of water (3500
litres), formed the ingredients of this monster brewage.
An elegant canopy placed over the potent liquor,
prevented waste by evaporation, or dilution by rain;
while, in a boat, built expressly for the purpose, a ship
boy rowed round the fountain, to assist in filling cups
for the six thousand persons who partook of it.

8. The bartenders/sailors had to work in
15-minute shifts to avoid being overcome
by the fumes and falling overboard.
The party continued nonstop for a full
week, pausing only briefly during
rainstorms to erect a silk canopy over
the punch to keep it from getting
watered down. In fact, the festivities
didn't end until the fountain had been
drunk completely dry

9. CHARLES DICKENS
1812–1870
the most popular English
novelist of the Victorian
era and one of the most
popular of all time.
Work by Dickens includes:
Oliver Twist, A Christmas
Carol, David Copperfield,
Great Expectation…

10. Dickens’ cellar
Taken from the auction catalogue.
The auction, which included furniture and household effects, took
place between Wednesday and Saturday, August 10-13, 1870.
Red & white, sparkling wines, Liqueurs, Cordials, Spirits, Whiskeys,
etc…
SPIRITS & LIQUEURS
1 bottle each Maraschino, Eau de vie Dantzic, Chartreuse, Elixa de
Spa, and Parfait Amour. 2 Doz. 1854 Black Forest Kirschwasser, 17
bottles Curacao, 3 doz. Cordial Gin, 5 doz. Pine Apple Rum, over 10
doz. Dark Hennessy Brandy, 10 years old.
18 Doz. Pale Brandy (F. Courvoisier). 11 Doz. Highland Whisky
(Cockburn, Leith0. 16 Bottles Hollandche Genever Hoboken ( deBie
& Tarlay).
Other such as…12 doz. Milk punch, 25 Dozen Champagne, a 1834 Port,
16 bottles Clos de Vougeot, 7 bottles Chambertin, 5 doz. Chateau “Y
Quen” Bourgeois, 2 ½ dozen Haut Sauternes…
Dickens’ cellar, of about 185 dozen bottles of various description
realised 521 pounds, seventeen shillings and six pence.

11. Dickens nutmeg grater, 1799
Dickens punch ladle

12. Reading & illustrations
CONVIVIAL DICKENS
Edward Hewett & W.F.
Axton on the Drinks of
Dickens & his time
First publication in 1926

13. DRINKING WITH DICKENS
Cedric Dickens was the last
surviving great-grandson of
British author Charles Dickens.
He wrote :
““Drinking with Dickens”
HOT GIN PUNCH
Recipe based and inspired
by Charles Dickens own recipe taken
from the book
‘Drinking with Dickens’ Cedric
Charles Dickens Pub. by New
Amsterdam Books 1988

14. David Copperfield, 1850
“Punch my dear Copperfield,
like time and tide, waits for
no man”
“The Gin Punch, Mr
Micawber’s favourite”

15. THE GIN SHOP
George Cruikshank,
illustration
Oliver Twist (1837-39)
Cruikshank, who was all
too familiar with gin-
shops himself,
captures the vivacious
scene: flaring gas
lamps, pretty barmaid,
tuns of “Out-and Out”
and “Cream of the
Valley”, and raucous
company. To the right a
burly pugilist keeps a
look-out for trouble,
which appears to be
brewing across the
room.

16. THE BAR OF THE
“SIX JOLLY FELLOWSHIP PORTERS”
Marcus Stone, illustration, our
Mutual Friend, (1864-65)
In Dickens' day, though drinks
were served at the bar, they were
drunk
somewhere else in the tavern, the
bar
itself being but a place of
dispensation
and observation.

17. THE BARMAID
Gavarni, illustration, Albert
Smith, Gavarni in London
(1849) The Guildhall Library
By 1849, the bar was
already evolving into its
present island or peninsula
from its earlier glassed-in
cage, and pub patrons were
both served and drank at the
bar. Taking a leaf from gin
palaces, publican were
installing pretty young
women
to serve out the drinks and
entertain the customers.

18. PUNCH IN AMERICA
Punch was popular in Virginia, it was popular in New
York, it was popular in Pennsylvania.
William Black recorded in his diary in 1744 that in
Philadelphia he was given cider and punch
for lunch; rum and brandy before dinner; punch,
Madeira, port, and sherry at dinner; punch and
liqueurs with the ladies; and
wine, spirit, and punch till bedtime; all in punch bowls
big enough for a goose to swim in.

19. In 1757 S. M. of Boston, who was doubtless Samuel Mather, the
son of Cotton Mather, sent to Sir Harry Frankland, the hero
of the New England romance of Agnes Surriage a lineal
descendant of Oliver Cromwell (his father was governor of
the East India company's factory in Bengal), a box of lemons
with these lines:
You know from Eastern India came
The skill of making punch as did the name.
And as the name consists of letters five,
By five ingredients is it kept alive.
To purest water sugar must be joined,
With these the grateful acid is combined.
Some any sours they get contented use,
But men of taste do that from Tagus choose.
When now these three are mixed with care
Then added be of spirit a small share.
And that you may the drink quite perfect see,
A top the musky nut must grated be.

21. THE WHITE
CARGO
1920’ Venezuela
A cocktail into
a punch
6 LITRES HENDRICK’S
2 BOTTLES MARASCHINO
LUXARDO LIQUEUR
4/6 LITRES VANILLA ICE
CREAM
Gratted Nutmeg

22. Uses of punch for party of 200 guests

24. Modern uses of a bathtub
as punch and GT dispenser

25. Le mot de la fin
“I am a big fan of punches because
there are such cool drinks for large
parties, whatever you do get out and
get yourself some punch recipes and
make life easier on yourself”
Dan Dunn interviews Nick Strangeway - for
playboy.com - in London whose specialty is
fortified punch.