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Punch

Punch is a refreshing summer drink made of wine, sparkling wine and fruit or herbs. Colourful, fruity and well chilled, this fizzy classic guarantees fruity enjoyment.

  • 3-5

    ingredients

  • 18.

    century

  • 50s

    years

There’s really not much you can do wrong with this fruity cocktail – if you keep a few simple basic rules in mind:

  • The best punches only use a couple of ingredients.  
  • A punch is only ever as good as the wine or sparkling wine used in its making. German quality wine, a light Kabinett and fruity Winzersekt are excellent choices.
  • Only use fresh and fully ripe fruit.
  • Peel and chop the fruit carefully – do not crush it.
  • To get the fruit to develop its full aroma, just sugar it lightly or marinate it in grape liqueur. If you prefer a sweet punch, use sweet wines.
  • Only add – well chilled – sparkling wine and mineral water just before you serve the punch. This way, you’ll keep it fizzing for that much longer.
  • The ideal serving temperature for a punch is 5-8 °C, slightly cooler than for wine.

Do not add ice cubes to the punch. This will water it down. Best place the punch bowl inside a larger bowl filled with crushed ice.

And another thing: Once the punch is dwindling, do not top it up. It’s better to serve a good wine after the punch is finished.

Strawberry punch

Prepare a large plate full of fresh strawberries. Cut larger strawberries in half or quarter them. Sprinkle with sugar and let them sit for a while to release their juice. Alternatively, marinate the fruit in grape liqueur. Next, place fruit and juice in a punch bowl and let them steep in a little wine. Later, add 4-5 bottles of wine, such as well chilled rosé or Weißherbst. If possible, place the punch bowl on crushed ice. Just before serving, add a bottle of German Winzersekt and enjoy.

Peach punch

Peel 6-8 ripe peaches, cut them in half and remove the stones. Sprinkle the fruit pieces with sugar and let them steep. Next, add 3-4 bottles of wine, such as Riesling or Silvaner, and let the mixture steep for a couple of hours, preferably on ice. Just before serving, add a bottle of German Winzersekt for that zesty finishing touch.

Kumquat punch

Wash 15 kumquats in hot water, dry them and cut them into thin slices. Sprinkle with brown sugar and add a little wine, such as Pinot Gris or a mature Riesling. Let the mixture steep for a couple of hours, then top up with 2 bottles of wine and leave it to steep for some more time on ice. Just before serving, add a bottle of Winzersekt for that delightful sparkle.

How punch got its name

The German term for the refreshing summer cocktail made of wine and fruit is Bowle, derived from the English word “bowl”. Allegedly, the cocktail was invented by British colonial officers in India. To invigorate themselves and to overcome the sheer boredom of Colonial life, they got their Indian servants to create drinks for them that used at least five – or “punch” in Hindi – ingredients. Those were then served to the officers in a large “punchbowl”.

Thus the British started the fashion for punches in Europe in the 18th century. Initially reserved to nobility, drinking punch soon became a favourite pastime in bourgeois circles as well. The favourite drink of the 19th century high society later became the party craze of the 1950s. Today, the cocktail is becoming fashionable once again as an invigorating, fresh and fruity drink for the summer.

Do you know any other kind of punch than the traditional punch?

Besides the traditional punch like Cold Whisky Punch, Roman Punch, Ginger Punch,... for which spirits like brandy and whisky are used, you can also use grape wines to make a punch. How to make it? Find out in this article!

More recipe ideas

with strong red wine Wild boar ragout

with strong red wine

  • 800 Gramm Fleisch vom Wildschwein (Keule o. Schulter)
  • 80 Gramm Bauchspeck
  • 100 Gramm Zwiebeln
  • 60 Gramm Karotten
  • 60 Gramm Staudensellerie
  • 1 TL Tomatenmark
  • 200 ml kräftigen Rotwein
  • 100 ml Portwein
  • 1 Liter braune Wildbrühe
  • 1 TL Preiselbeeren
  • 1 EL geschlagene Sahne o. Sauerrahm
  • 20 Gramm Mehl
  • 1 Stück Lorbeerblatt
  • je 1 Zweig Rosmarin und Thymian
  • 4 zerdrückte Wacholderbeeren
  • 1/2 TL Senf
  • nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Clean and wash the vegetables and cut into evenly sized cubes.

 

Remove the fat, skin and tendons from the wild boar meat and cut into 3 cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meat on all sides. Add the vegetables and diced bacon and fry. Add the tomato purée and stir fry. Deglaze with the red wine and port, reduce and pour in the brown game stock. Add the spices to the meat in a small spice bag and leave the ragout to simmer in the oven at 160°C for approx. 1½ hours.

 

Then remove the pieces of meat, remove the spices, strain the sauce, add the cranberries and mustard and leave to reduce for about 15 minutes. If necessary, thicken with a little cornflour. Serve with the whipped cream.

  • Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)

with apples and nuts Tarte flambée

with apples and nuts

  • 250 Gramm Weizen- oder Dinkelmehl
  • 150 Gramm Crème fraîche
  • 150 Gramm körniger Frischkäse
  • 2 säuerliche Äpfel
  • 1 - 2 Zwiebeln
  • 30 Gramm Walnüsse oder Haselnüsse
  • 15 Gramm Hefe
  • 1 EL Zucker
  • 2 EL Olivenöl
  • 2 Zweige frischer Thymian
  • Nach Bedarf Salz & Pfeffer
  • 200 ml warmes Wasser

For the yeast dough, sieve the flour into a bowl and make a well in it. Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water and pour into the well. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rise for 10 minutes. Then knead the pre-dough with the dough hook of a hand mixer and gradually work in the warm water, the oil and a teaspoon of salt. Leave the kneaded dough to rise until it has doubled in volume (approx. half an hour, in a warm place).

 

Cut the onions into wedges. Roughly chop the nuts. Core the apples, cut into slices (the thicker the apple slices, the juicier the tarte flambée) and sprinkle with the sugar.

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<p>After resting, divide the dough and roll out each half on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (top and bottom heat)

 

Spread the crème fraîche evenly over the tarte flambée and top with the apple slices and onion wedges. Spread the fresh cheese on top and sprinkle with the walnuts. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

 

Bake on the lowest shelf for 12-15 minutes and sprinkle with the fresh thyme before serving.

  • Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)
  • Riesling (lieblich)

with wild mushrooms Cream of potato soup

with wild mushrooms

  • 300 Gramm geschälte Kartoffeln
  • 100 Gramm Wurzelgemüse
  • 100 Gramm Waldpilze
  • 1 ganze Zwiebel
  • 1 ganze Knoblauchzehe
  • 30 Gramm Speckwürfel
  • 40 Gramm Margarine
  • 750 ml Brühe
  • 200 ml Sahne
  • 1 Zweig Thymian
  • nach Belieben Petersilie, Butter, Salz, Pfeffer, Muskat

Clean, wash and finely dice the root vegetables. Finely dice the onion and garlic clove and finely chop the thyme. Sauté the diced bacon with the margarine in a pan until lightly browned, add the diced onion, garlic, root vegetables and thyme. Sauté, add the stock and cook for 2 minutes.


Finely grate the potatoes, add to the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, add the cream, season and flavour. Clean, wash and chop the mushrooms and sauté in a pan with butter. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped parsley and pour over the soup when serving.

  • Riesling (trocken)
  • Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)

Japanese hollandaise succeeds with wasabi paste Salmon with Japanese hollandaise and green asparagus

Combine salmon with hollandaise and asparagus with a dry Riesling.

  • 4x 150g Lachsfilet mit Haut
  • 1 Limette
  • 2 Zehen Knoblauch
  • 4 EL Honig
  • 10 EL Sojasauce
  • 200g Butter
  • 4 Eier
  • 1 EL Joghurt
  • 2 EL Reisessig
  • 2 EL Wasabipaste
  • 500 g Grüner Spargel

For the marinade, finely chop the garlic first. Wash the lime in hot water, grate the zest and squeeze out the juice and bring everything to the boil with the honey and soya sauce. Put to one side.

 

Now prepare the Japanese hollandaise: Bring 180g butter to the boil. Place the egg yolks, yoghurt, rice vinegar, wasabi paste and a pinch of salt in a tall measuring jug and mix with a hand blender. Gradually mix the boiling (!) butter into the egg yolks using a hand blender. Season the hollandaise with salt and pepper to taste and keep the measuring jug warm in hot water.

 

Peel the bottom third of 500 g green asparagus and cut off the ends. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large pan. Add the asparagus to the pan, pour in 50 ml water and season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to the boil briefly.

 

Fry the salmon fillets on the skin side in a little oil for about 4 minutes. Turn the salmon and fry for a further 2 minutes. Then turn again and baste with the marinade. Remove the salmon from the pan and reduce the marinade until thick. Brush the salmon with it. Serve the salmon with the hollandaise and asparagus. Enjoy your meal!

 

Wine recommendation:

 

WINE TIP: Dry Rielsing

  • Riesling (trocken)