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18th Century Punch

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Additional Resources

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Drinking punch in the eighteenth century

Punch

Punch vs. Tea in the 18th Century

Passing the Bowl

With Glasses Raised: All About Punch and Punch Love

A History of Punch: Sailors, Sack and the Number Five and Quakers, Fishing and Smoking Bishops

Mixed Company: Colonial American Taverns’ Connections to the Atlantic World, 1620-1775

The Flowing Bowl

Barbarity in a Teacup? Punch, Domesticity and Gender in the Eighteenth Century

Find reproduction and original 18th century punchbowls on eBay

Re-creations of historical century punch recipes include Berkshire Rum Punch, Philadelphia Fish House Punch, and Martha Washington’s Rum Punch

Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl Rum Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing and Public Life in Eighteenth Century Philadelphia Come Drink the Bowl Dry Colonial Spirits Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England

Last updated: Jan 7, 2024

Benjamin Franklin described the making of punch in Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1737:

Boy, bring a Bowl of China here,
Fill it with Water cool and clear:
Decanter with Jamaica ripe,
And Spoon of Silver clean and bright,
Sugar twice-fin’d in pieces cut,
Knife, Sieve and Glass, in order put,
Bring forth the fragrant Fruit, and then
We’re happy till the Clock strikes Ten.

Both men and women drank punch in a variety of social settings, including punch houses as well as pubs and taverns. In 1774, Edward Topham describes a social gathering in Edinburgh:

This shrine of festivity is nothing more than an oyster-cellar, and its votaries the first people in Edinburgh. A few evenings ago I had the pleasure of being asked to one of these entertainments, by a Lady. At that time I was not acquainted with this scene of 'high life below stairs,' and therefore, when she mentioned the word Oyster Cellar, I imagined I must have mistaken the place of invitation: she repeated it it, however, and I found it was not my business to make objections; so agreed immediately. You will not think it very odd, that I should expect, from the place where the appointment was made, to have had a partie tête-à-tête …

The large table, round which they were seated, was covered with dishes full of oysters, and pots of porter. For a long time, I could not suppose that this was the only entertainment we were to have, and I sat waiting in expectation of a repast that was never to make its appearance. This I soon verified, as the table was cleared, and glasses introduced. The ladies were now asked whether they would choose brandy or rum punch? I thought this question an odd one, but I was soon informed by the gentleman who sat next to me that no wine was sold here; but that punch was quite 'the thing.' The ladies, who always love what is best, fixed upon brandy punch, and a large bowl was immediately introduced. The conversation had hitherto been insipid, and at intervals; it now became general and lively.

Pehr Kalm recalled a conversation on the good and harm of punch, in his Account of His Visit to England (1748):

I asked Mr. Catesby and Dr. Mitchel whether they thought that Punch was a useful or a baneful drink? They answered that their opinion was that it is beneficial or baneful according as it is prepared. Mr. Catesby said that his experience in Virginia and Carolina had been as follows. They drank at one time Punch which was made of strong Brandywine or rum and water with much sugar in it, but only a little lemon-juice was added. The effect, which they gradually found, of this was, that after some time they got a kind of Paralysis, which was such that they could not hold anything with the fingers; for they had almost no strength in them, but were obliged to place everything they wished to take hold of between the two hands. For example, they could not hold the glass which they wished to raise to the mouth with the fingers, which they could not press together, but between the wrists.

Afterwards they began to diminish the quantity of Brandywine and sugar but to put more lemon-juice in it, after which they did not get such troublesome paralysis, although commonly the sad future consequence was that he who drank Punch generally became very palsied in his old age.

This page has punch recipes from 18th century sources, illustrations of punch drinkers, punch parties, and punchbowls, extant punchbowls, and strainers & ladles.

18th century recipes for punch

Illustrations of punchbowls and/or punch drinking

Punchbowls from the 18th century

Additional Resources

Drinking punch in the eighteenth century

“One More Bowl and Then?” A Material Culture Analysis of Punch Bowls

A punchbowl identified at Augustine Creek South and related artifacts in Ordinary and Poor People in 18th-Century Delaware

Punch strainers

These also occasionally pop up on eBay.

Punch ladles

Additional Resources

Let’s Drink and Be Merry: A study about punch ladles

Unless otherwise noted, most 18th century punch ladles are silver. (You can also find 18th century punch ladles on eBay.)