Punsch

[1] It is made by the mixing of spirits (arrack, brandy or rum) with arrak tea (lemon and spices), sugar, and water,[2] and was first brought to Sweden from Java in 1733.

Some believe the word punch/punsch came from a loanword from Persian panj, meaning "five", as punch was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.

[6][10] An early recipe for punsch was written by Pehr Osbeck in the book he published with his fellow travellers Olof Torén and Carl Gustaf Ekeberg, A Voyage to China and the East Indies (1771), an English translation of the original Swedish publication of 1757: It is known to almost every one how punch is made; but, that it may be observed for the future where it is made to its greatest perfection, I will mention the true proportion of its constituent parts.

To a quart of boiling water, half a pint of arrack is taken, to which one pound of sugar, and five or six lemons, or instead of them as many tamarinds as are necessary to give it the true acidity, are added: a nutmeg is likewise grated into it.

[11] A testament to the widespread popularity of punsch or rack (arrack)[12] are the songs of Swedish eighteenth century poet and composer Carl Michael Bellman.

[8] Swedish entertainer Povel Ramel sang about punsch in the song "Varför är där ingen is till punschen?

[15][9] Until the 1840s, punsch was typically served warm and created just before consumption: a sugarloaf was placed upright in a large bowl, hot water was poured over it to make the sugar dissolve, and arrack, unflavoured spirits and German Rhine wine were added.

[10] Punsch is also used as a flavoring agent or to increase the alcohol content for glögg,[16] the warmed Scandinavian mulled wine frequently associated with Christmas.

[21] Among the more prevalent are the Doctor cocktail (with rum & lime), the Diki-Diki (with apple brandy & grapefruit juice), and the Guldkant (or "gold rim", made with equal parts punsch & cognac).