I know what you’re thinking… facts are awesome, but how can I sound really smart at parties while being timely and relevant? Wonder no more. Here’s the perfect opening line for when you’re standing awkwardly near the punch bowl. “Did you know that punch (gesturing casually towards your drink) is named after the ancient word for five?” Ladies will swoon.
The original punch came from India. It was a mixture of spirits, sugar, lemon, water, and tea, and named for it’s five ingredients. The Hindi word for the drink was panch, originally called paantsch, coming from the Parsi (Persian) word panj, meaning five, which in turn is based on the Sanskrit panchan-s.
The drink traveled home with British sailors in the 1600s, and soon became a part of western culture as well. The widely available “fruit punch” found in stores is really one of the least fruity drinks available, made mostly with processed sugar and artificial flavours.
Bonus fact: Hawaiian Punch, the brand of drink flavoured with 7 tropical fruits (with a whopping 5% fruit juice), was first created in 1934 as a ice cream topping then watered down.
- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_(drink) (related to me by my friend Malcolm who has a knack for being oddly factual)
