One of sour, two of sweet, four of strong, eight of weak, is the formula for making excellent punch.

An Excellent Method Of Making Punch

Take two large lemons, with rough skins, and some lumps of sugar. Rub the sugar over the lemons till it has absorbed all the yellow part of the skins; then put into the bowl these lumps, and as much more as the juice of the lemons may require, for no certain weight can be mentioned; then squeeze the lemon-juice upon the sugar, and with a bruiser press the sugar and the juice well together, for the richness and fine flavour of the punch depends on the rubbing and mixing process being thoroughly performed. Then mix this up very well with boiling water (soft water is best), till the whole is rather cool. When this mixture is to your taste, take brandy and rum in equal quantities, and put them to it, mixing the whole altogether again. The quantity of liquor must be according to your taste; two good lemons are generally enough to make four quarts of punch, including a quart of liquor, with half a pound of sugar; but this depends on taste, and on the strength of the spirit. As the pulp is disagreeable to some people, the sherbet may be strained before the liquor is put in.

Some strain the lemon before they put it to the sugar, which is improper; as, when the pulp and sugar are well mixed together it adds to the richness of the punch.

When only rum is used, about half a pint of porter will soften the punch; and when both rum and brandy are used, the porter gives a richness and, to some, a very pleasant flavour.

Whisky Punch

Pour half a pint of the spirit on the peel of a lemon, taken off very thin, and the lemon cut into very thin slices after the whole of the white part has been carefully taken off. Let it stand one hour, then add a sufficient quantity of sugar, with a glass of Curacoa, about a pint of water, and two bottles of iced soda-water.

George The Fourth Milk Punch

Time, eighteen hours.

Take two quarts of rum, put the peel of twelve lemons and two Seville oranges into it, and let it stand twelve hours, then add two quarts of cold spring water, one pound of loaf sugar, one pint of lemon-juice, one nutmeg, one pint of strong green tea, quarter of a pint of maraschino, one pint of Madeira; mix together, and stir in a pint of new milk boiling hot; let it stand six hours till quite clear; then bottle it for use.

Milk Punch

Infuse the peel of twelve lemons, cut very thin, in one quart of the best brandy, for forty-eight hours; dissolve two pounds of treble refined sugar in seven pints of cold water; put to it the brandy that the peel has been infused in, with two quarts more brandy and one of rum, with the juice of the twelve lemons and one grated nutmeg; then take three pints of milk scalding hot, and throw it in; let it stand altogether twelve hours, and then run it through a jelly-bag till it is clear.

Milk Punch

The rinds of six lemons to stand in a bottle of rum three days (or more). Then add one quart of lemon-juice, three quarts of water and live of spirits, three pounds of loaf sugar and two grated nutmegs; mix them all well together, and add two quarts of boiling milk: let all stand four or five hours, then fine it through a flannel bag, and bottle it off.

The bottle must be filled with lemon-peel, cut very thin, before you put the spirit in.

Cold Punch

Take half a pound of loaf sugar in lumps, rub each lump over a lemon to draw out the essence of the peel; squeeze the lemon-juice over the sugar, pour over it half a pint of rum or whisky; let it stand twenty minutes, and add three pints of cold water and a large lump of ice.