Summertime Punch

New York Times T Magazine - "All the Rage | The Next Great Cocktail Craze? Boozy Punches"

"When 22,000 bartenders, distillers, industry reps and cocktail enthusiasts gathered in New Orleans last week for the 11th annual Tales of the Cocktail convention, one truth emerged: punches are back. Gin punches complemented sour flavors. Whiskey punches swirled with citrus. Nearly every event featured a bowl at the bar that was regularly drained and refilled. At the Absolut Welcome Party, 16 rooms of the French Quarter’s historic Arnaud’s Restaurant were transformed into a maze of bespoke bars and boîtes, featuring punch-bowl fountains of such classic concoctions as the sea breeze, the corpse reviver and the honey pot. And at the closing day’s annual Pig & Punch fund-raiser, herbaceous Jagermeister and Barenjager Honey Liqueur punctuated flowing bowls of tequila and plum-wine punch.

The colonial-era precursor to the cocktail has been enjoying a renaissance ever since the release of the cocktail historian David Wondrich’s 2010 book, “Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl.” Typically comprised of five ingredients (spirit, citrus, sugar, spice, water), punches have grown in popularity in part because of their low-maintenance preparation — all that’s required before serving is floating a giant ice cube in a massive bowl."