The Origin of Punch

Punch comes from a wide assortment of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Generally it contains actual fruit or fruit juices.

Punch was invented in India by British sailors in the 16 century and then spread to many countries. The name punch is borrowed from Sanskrit (pañc),meaning ‘five’, as the drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.

The drink was later brought to England by sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early 17th century. From there it was introduced to other European countries.

Today, soft drink manufacturers produce a variety of “fruit punch” beverages which usually contain only a small quantity of real fruit juice.