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We love any excuse to celebrate here at Lyme Bay, and there’s a National Drink Day just around the corner which highlights one of our favourite spirits – World Rum Punch Day! Celebrated on the 20th of September every year, it is the perfect excuse to crack open a bottle of rum and mix up a big bowl of punch!
The First Punch
It is not known for certain who made the first punch or where it was made, but most historians agree it was likely to have been created by a Brit. The first written reference to punch appears in a letter sent by Robert Addams in September 1632. Addams was working for the British East India Company and stationed in the continent when he wrote to a colleague, saying “I hop you will keep good house together and drincke punch by no allowance”
It wasn’t until a few years later in 1638 that the first recorded punch recipe was created, when Johan Albert de Mandelslo – who was also stationed in India – recorded that workers in a factory he was managing made “a kind of drink consisting of aqua vitae*, rose-water, juice of citrons and sugar”.
*aqua vitae in this context would’ve likely been a locally produced distilled spirit
Taming the Beast
Spirits weren’t always as refined as the bottles we enjoy today, and when the British discovered rum in the Caribbean, it had a bit of a kick to it! For that reason, punches were created to help dull down the strength of the spirit, making it more palatable.
British sailors enjoyed a drink more than most, so would often run out of beer and wine quite quickly, leaving them left with newly discovered spirits from across the globe. Dreading a long and wine-less journey would be ahead of them, sailors started mixing the different spirits they had collected on their journeys to try and create a wine substitute, adding other ingredients such as lemon juice and spices.
The punch also had medicinal properties (we use that phrase lightly!), as it would help stave off scurvy on the long voyages. When the sailors returned to port, they would very often have a surplus of provisions, which would be used to whip up big batches of punch. It then became quite fashionable for financiers of the ships to enjoy the beverage onboard with their friends.
Punch then became the drink of choice for aristocrats for hundreds of years, with punch vessels becoming an accessory to show off. There are even some accounts talking of punch bowls so large that three children could play inside!
Rum Punch with a Lugger Twist
If you want to celebrate World Rum Punch Day for yourself, we’ve added a couple of recipes below for you to try, incorporating our two fantastic rums, so why not dig out a big bowl and mix up a batch to enjoy?
Golden Rum Punch – 2 servings (if you want to make more, just scale the ingredients equally)
Ingredients
175ml freshly squeezed orange juice
150ml Lugger Golden Rum
75ml freshly squeezed lime juice
50ml sugar syrup
Dash of Angostura bitters
Dash of grenadine syrup
Ice, to serve
Method
Pour all of the ingredients into a jug and give it a good stir, then place in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour.
Pour into a glass filled with ice and enjoy!
Spiced Rum Punch – 4-6 servings
Ingredients
300ml lemonade
200ml Lugger Spiced Rum
50g sugar
Juice of 4 oranges
Juice and zest of 2 limes
Half a pineapple
2 cinnamon sticks
Ice, to serve
Method
Pour the sugar into a pan and add the lemonade, cinnamon sticks, and lime zest. Heat gently for around 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, then set aside to cool.
Peel and slice half a pineapple and blitz in a food processor to make a purée, then pass through a fine sieve.
Add a handful of ice to a jug and strain in the syrup (making sure to discard the cinnamon sticks). Add the pineapple purée, lime and orange juices and spiced rum, then stir well.
To serve, fill a glass with ice and pour in the punch, topping up with more lemonade if desired.
Show Us Your Creations
As ever, we love to see what you are creating with our products, so give us a follow on the Lyme Bay Instagram and Facebook accounts and share your creations, while also staying tuned for all our latest updates, offers and giveaways.
