Parties with punch

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 24

Parties with punch

Serving spirits and cocktails may be all very well for small groups and dinner parties, but for large gatherings simple economics demand something which gives a large volume at a reasonable price. ..■ . A punch is probably the best idea as a party drink. There are many variations, using either a Spirit or a wine base, which can be made as ' strong as the occasion and the guests demand.

• Bulk packs of wine allow attending hosts to be liberal • without incurring great expense. One cask could be the. base for as much as 12 litres of punch. Making punch is simple and can . be fun, particularly in the tasting. Orange juice (fresh or canned rather than instant) is the best base, diluted with lemonade, ginger ale and cold tea. The tea, well strained of cotirse, has a tang to it

which prevents the punch from tasting too sweet. Finding a receptacle large enough to hold your punch can be difficult. A clean plastic bucket, or buckets, can be used for mixing and storage, with a pretty bowl filled from it as necessary. Alternatively, mix the wine, orange juice and tea in a smaller container and add the lemonade, ginger ale and ice just before serving.

For a four litre cask of wine use two litres of orange juice, 500mls of strong tea and two large bottles each of lemonade and ginger ale. Any white wine will do, but the sweetness of the punch will depend bn the sweetness . of the wine used, ■

Garnish the punch with sliced . oranges, lemons, .grapes, water melon or strawberries. As well as looking attractive the fruit will add its own flavour to the brew.

A spirit-based punch is

made in much the same way, using practically anv spirit which is on hand. Gin. vodka or tequila are among the favourites since these do not colour the punch, but interesting effects can be gained from experimenting with blends. A rather more daring but equally popular idea for a party drink is “bathtub punch” where every bottle that your guests bring is poured into a large container —' a baby’s bath is ideal — with the addition of fruit juices and soft drinks. The result, although sometimes unusual in flavour, is a remarkably potent and very drinkable punch. As the evening progresses and more guests add their offerings to the brew, various changes in colour, flavour and alcohol-content will . be noticed, but if the soft drinks are added in sufficient quantities, regularly, the morning-after effects will be minimal.