Pack a punch for the holidays

The word evokes so many memories.

Dancing like a maniac to "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the high school dance.

Co-workers making fantastically inappropriate comments at the company office party.

And uncle Harry toppling over the Christmas tree in the living room.

"When most people look back on their holiday memories, they remember some type of punch," said Rory Fosberry, operations director for Steve Brown Catering.

The Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails Web site, lupec.org, dedicated to the preservation of the Gin Fizz, Widow's Kiss and Singapore Sling, said punch roots are difficult to uncork.

Some evidence shows that British sailors first met lips with punch in India during the 16th century. The word could stem from the Hindu word for five -- panch -- referring to the five key ingredients in traditional punch: sugar, a bitter aperitif, lemon juice, beer and pure alcohol.

However, according to the Web site, it is more likely that the word was originally pronounced "poonch," as it is still in northern England, and that it may have been a sailor's shortening for puncheon, a large cask for liquids or other commodities.

In the United States, references to punch in letters, menus and government documents are recorded as early as 1682.

Fosberry said hot and cold rum concoctions served in a communal bowl were popular at gatherings and celebrations throughout the 16th and 17th century.

Charleston's St. Cecilia Society punch is still a favorite at Beaufort gatherings, Fosberry said, particularly during the holidays.

The St. Cecilia Society is one of the earliest known private musical societies in the United States founded sometime in the late 1700s.

In 1820, the society's concert series ended and was replaced with annual balls where a very potent punch was served.

The recipe includes several ingredients including brandy-steeped lemons, green tea, heavy rum and champagne.

Fosberry also serves a popular "plantation punch" at local events made from rum, pineapple juice, orange juice and cherries.

Add a splash of creme de cassis and the result is "pretty darn good," Fosberry said.

"Punch's popularity ebbs and flows," Fosberry said. "But when people think about it, they usually want it."

Molly Kennedy, catering director for Celebration Events on Hilton Head Island, said the main reason people opt out of serving punch at holiday get-togethers is the work involved in making it.

Kennedy offers an easy and elegant holiday approach to punch that requires only a bottle of champagne and cranberry juice.

"Serve it in a champagne flute, and add a candy cane," Kennedy said.

Or add a few whole cranberries to the bottom of the glass for an added visual element.

To chill the punch, add an ice ring made from cranberries and cranberry juice -- just fill about half of a bunt pan with a handful of cranberries and cranberry juice and freeze.

For a final decorating touch, toss a few whole cranberries around the outside of the punch bowl.

"It's very easy," she said.

Fosberry said ice rings can be made with a variety of juices and fresh fruits, though, he avoids using strawberries, which can become mushy and fall apart when soaked in alcohol.

Pineapples, oranges, cherries, lemons and limes all hold up well in punch bowls, he said.

A typical punch recipe calls for one bottle of spirits and 12 cups of mix or juice that will provide roughly 30 servings. Allow 1 1/2 servings of punch per person.

"I think more people should have punch at their occasions," Fosberry said. "Punch is fun."