Pineapple and Gin Punch cocktail recipe

Ask any host to name the most important thing when throwing a great party and they’ll say it’s being prepared. Enter the classic punch, which should do two things: taste incredible and keep you out of the kitchen. This one nails both.

Not only is punch one of the world’s earliest cocktails, it’s also the quickest and easiest way to serve many in minutes. By making it in advance, you can give your undivided attention to your guests. No messing around with shakers and ice, just reach for the ladle or jug and pour.

Some say the name ‘punch’ is derived from the Hindi word for ‘five’, which covers the five OG ingredients – sour (lemons or limes), sugar, spirit, water and spices. The first written references to punch are from India in the 1600s, when people from the British East India Company noticed the locals enjoying a fruity concoction. Others speculate that it was British sailors who dreamed up the idea of recreating wine (their preferred drink) after running out of it on the long trip to India by using the local ingredients at hand.

Whatever the case, it’s the perfect drink for warm-weather entertaining as the combination of pineapple, lemon, triple sec, gin, sugar syrup and sparkling wine is a guaranteed winner in anyone’s books. The jasmine tea, mint and Angostura Bitters provide the perfect foil to keep all those flavours balanced and sophisticated.

Punch is super flexible and you can easily adjust it to suit your tastes. You can dial up the intensity by adding more gin, or leave it out entirely and go long on the pineapple juice instead. You can also even swap out the sparkling wine for sparkling water.

You might be tempted to think that the raw ingredients in punch don’t really matter, but like all good cocktails, quality is key. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and opt for a tasty pineapple juice as well (better yet, make your own).

Another trap is adding regular cubed ice to the punch bowl. In warm weather, this will melt in a matter of minutes, diluting the flavours in the process. You want to instead use a large ice cube that will cool the punch, but not dilute the flavours. Try making your own by freezing a big tupperware container filled with water.