Cocktail Cabinet No.16

Punch originated as a sailor’s solution to keeping drinking water fresh on long journeys. You can live for weeks with little or no food, but you cannot last a week without water.

In the 16th and 17th centuries sailors needed liquid that would not spoil during sea exploration. Initially, this liquid was beer, then port, then gin and latterly, rum. Even rum spoiled eventually, so limes were added to mask the taste. This ...