This Barbet & Pals Cocktail Packs a Punch

History On The Rocks is Goya’s summer cocktail series in partnership with Smitha Menon. Here, we explore the often-unknown origin story behind our favourite classic cocktails. We will also be bringing you a modern take on the classic, from some of our favourite bars in the country. This week, the punch.

Fun fact: the driest state is India is (likely) the space where punch originated.

A 1632 record by an East India Company employee mentions the drink in Surat, Gujarat. Some believe the name Punch comes from paanch (Hindi:five) representing the ingredients in the drink — sugar, nutmeg, spirit (usually rum), water, and lime. Historians say their either employees of the East India Company or British soldiers took the drink out West. Punch soon became the drink of choice for British bigwigs, with punch bowls becoming the newest coveted accessory. Some commissioned bowls were reportedly almost as big as bathtubs.

You could say punch is the OG drink, much before cocktails came on the scene.

Barbet & Pals is the fun cocktail bar, opened by two bartenders, in Delhi. Their version of the punch puts some playful tweaks on the original.

Jeet Rana, co-founder of Barbet & Pals, Delhi.

BARBET & PALS’ RECIPE FOR OG PUNCH

Makes five cocktails

Ingredients

30 ml aged rum
150 ml citrus blend (lime, lemon, and mosambi)
100 ml oleo saccharum
240 ml spiced Assam tea

Method
Blend all ingredients together in a large punch bowl with plenty of ice.
It is best served and enjoyed with friends.
 

History on the Rocks is a series in partnership with Smitha Menon. Join us as we explore the stories behind our favourite cocktails and how they traveled to us. Each history lesson is followed by a cocktail recipe from some of the country’s top bartenders.

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