Who Invented “Punch”, How Did the Party Bowl Get its Name, and Where Did the Mixed Drinks Come From?

Punch is usually a mixture of fruit and soda drinks combined with alcohol and served at large gatherings.

It originated from the British colonization of northern India after the colonizers discovered a refreshing native drink made from five ingredients:

rice alcohol blended with tea, sugar, and lemon, then diluted with water.

The Hindi word for five, the number of ingredients, is punch.