We know punch — it’s that sugary, fruity concoction we used to spike furtively at high school dances. But there’s a long and impressive history behind this complex beverage that is far removed from the KoolAid-based drinks of our youth. Punch was the first distilled spirits drink to gain wide popularity with the masses. Long before cocktails were created, punch was the libation of choice for proper ladies, pirates, patriots and sailors, and was the acceptable tipple at virtually any social event from the late 17th century to the mid 1800s.

We can thank British sailors for “discovering” punch in India in the 16th century. The word punch is derived from the Hindustani word panch, meaning five, or the number of ingredients necessary for a proper punch: one sour, one sweet, one strong, one weak and one bitter. Conveniently, the raw materials were readily available in the colonial outposts of southern Asia: sour citrus fruits, sweet cane sugar, strong arrack (a catchall Arabic term for liquor), weak water or beer, and bitter aperitifs or teas. Later on, as new colonial outposts were claimed, rum became the alcoholic ingredient of choice.

These days punch can be made from any number of ingredients, and mercifully the taste is more important than the strength. Whether it’s for a backyard barbeque, a brunch or an elegant start to a dinner party, a finely crafted punch is a great way to show your sophisticated side and perhaps make use of that beautiful heirloom punchbowl you’ve had carefully packed away. It’s easy to serve — no constant bartending; So pass the ladle and celebrate as our forefathers did.