Friday 24 October 2025
Tune of the Day: The Powers of Punch
Traditional Irish jig
This jig appear to be unique to Chicago Police Captain Francis O'Neill's collection The Dance Music of Ireland, published in 1907.
In order to fit the range of the concert flute, we have transposed the melody up from G major to C major.
The word ‛punch’, first recorded in English in 1669, derives from a Hindi word, panch, meaning ‛five’, because of its five ingredients: spirits, water, lemon juice, sugar and spices. According to liquor historian David Wondrich, the drink became popular with British seamen who sailed into the tropics. In those times a sailor's beer ration was ten pints per day, but the warm temperatures caused the beer to spoil. As punch had more staying power in those climes, it quickly became a prized substitute.