Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl

As a magazine for readers that are intrigued by culture, whatever form that may take, food culture is but one perfect subject for PopMatters. Punch, an historical look at the art of mixology, feeds our hungry minds and whets our appetites for, in this case, what we might recreate at the party punch bowl (hint: this ain’t your floating slices of canned pineapples and cheap rum kind of punch).

Award-winning cocktail writer (can you imagine, having such a job?) David Wondrich gives us his thoroughly researched (hiccough) history of punch, the first popular drink of global proportions (thanks be to some intrepid sailors), and the foundations upon which all modern drinks are solidly built.

This is a book to read for the pure pleasure of the read itself — and then to consult closely for recipes. Imagine the learned wisdom one may impart upon his fellow tipsy punch bowl revelers, sloshing glass held high, waxing about bolleponge. Here’s to bolleponge, long live bolleponge!