Queen Punch

How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon-Vivant's Companion by Jerry Thomas (1876, p.38) — Jerry Thomas 1876

1. Put the cream of tartar, lemon juice, and lemon parings into a stone jar.
2. Pour on the boiling water, stir, and cover close.
3. When cold, sweeten with loaf sugar.
4. Strain, bottle, and cork tight.
5. Add half a pint of rum to the whole quantity in bottling.

Nose

Light lemon and a faint soft spirit note rise from the bottle.

Palate

It is brisk, lightly tart, and much nearer a fortified temperance drink than a conventional spirit punch.

Finish

The finish is clean, citrusy, and pleasantly sour.

Summary

A low-spirit bottled refresher that lives on the edge between punch and sharpened domestic cordial.

Queen Punch matters because it shows how small amounts of spirit could be folded into what is otherwise almost a medicinal or temperance-style bottled drink. It is another reminder that old punch territory overlaps with soft-drink and restorative traditions.

The timing of sweetening after cooling matters, as does tight bottling. It should be understood as a prepared household liquor rather than a mixed-at-once bowl.

Compared with heavier party punches, Queen Punch is practically delicate. Its value lies in category-blurring more than in force of drink.

The American Bar-Tender by R. C. Miller (1895, p.30) — R. C. Miller 1895

1. Put the cream of tartar and the juice and parings of seven lemons into a stone jar.
2. Pour on seven quarts of boiling water, stir, and cover close.
3. When cold, sweeten with loaf-sugar, strain, and bottle.
4. Add half a pint of rum in bottling.

Ice: Bottled liquor

Nose

The drink opens with a clean sharp lemon aroma rather than a heavy spirit nose.

Palate

This is a lighter bottled punch-liquor, more refreshment-like than grand spirit bowls, but still clearly within the punch lineage because of its batch logic and citrus preparation.

Finish

The finish is brisk, citric, and faintly rummy.

Summary

A light bottled citrus punch-liquor with a restrained spirit charge.

Queen Punch helps show how broad the punch family really was. It reaches toward temperance-adjacent bottled refreshment while still retaining spirit and formal naming.

The cream of tartar is historically significant and should not be normalised away. It is part of the drink's acid system.