New and Improved Bartenders' Manual by Harry Johnson (1900, p.220) — Harry Johnson 1900
| 8 whole | lemon — lemons | acid |
| 1.5 bottle | brandy — brandy | base |
| 1 lb | sugar — loaf sugar | base |
| 2 bottle | Seltzer water — imported selters water | dilution |
| 6 whole | Orange — oranges | garnish |
| 1 whole | pineapple — pineapple | garnish |
| 1 box | Seasonal berries — strawberries | garnish |
| 1 bottle | Madeira — Madeira wine | modifier |
| 1 gill | Maraschino — maraschino | modifier |
| 1 bottle | sherry — pale sherry | modifier |
| 4 bottle | champagne — champagne | other |
- Rub the sugar over the peels of six lemons until it has absorbed the yellow part of the skins.
- Place the sugared citrus, imported selters water, pineapple, oranges, strawberries, and two sliced lemons into a large punch bowl and mix well with a spoon.
- Add the champagne, brandy, pale sherry, Madeira, and maraschino.
- Stir up well with a spoon or ladle, surround the bowl with ice, and serve in a wine glass so each customer gets some of the fruit.
Garnish: Sliced citrus, pineapple, and strawberries from the bowl
Ice: Served from an iced bowl
- Nose
- Wine, citrus oil, and fruit rise in a grand bowl-service perfume with brandy depth beneath.
- Palate
- Bombay Punch is expansive and festive, part citrus sherbet logic, part wine cup, part ceremonial punch. It is a true party-bowl drink rather than a scaled-up single serve.
- Finish
- The finish is long, fruity, wine-rich, and sparkling.
- Summary
- A grand cosmopolitan bowl punch built on citrus-oil extraction and layered wine service.
Bombay Punch is historically useful because it shows how imperial naming, oleo-saccharum technique, fruit abundance, and mixed-wine luxury could coexist in one party drink. It sits comfortably between older Regency punch habits and later hospitality spectacle.
The lemon-rub step is essential. Johnson is not merely dissolving sugar but building aromatic citrus oil into the bowl's structure before the liquids arrive.