Punch

The social bowl—the centerpiece of the reception, the club celebration, the anniversary, the ball. Always iced, always sweetened with sugar or syrup, always brightened with the acid kiss of citrus, punch became a fixture in South Carolina entertainment during the colonial era. Each association had its own formula, and each formula called for one or another rare ingredients from around the globe that came into the port of Charleston. The Winyah Indigo Society was formed around a punch bowl in 1755, and its constitution required that the members partake at every club meeting. An early poem on punch elucidates this truth: