nutmeg

, the dried seed of the Indonesian Myristica fragrans tree, was at one time in Europe the king of spices. Once Europeans sailed into Asian waters it became more common, and the closer one was to its source, the more profligate was its use. Since punch, the ancestor of all modern mixed drinks, was born of the European colonial experience in Asia, it is only natural that it would be spiced with grated nutmeg, and indeed the spice is specified in most of the earliest recipes for that beverage. Nutmeg remained the dominant spice for a bowl of punch well into the nineteenth century. But it was also used in punches mixed by the glass, particularly if they contained rum or brandy (or a mixture of the two) or dairy products. In the Caribbean, where nutmeg trees had been induced to grow by the end of the eighteenth century, it is often found in rum drinks of whatever kind. Nutmeg can be unpleasantly hallucinogenic when taken in large quantity. It is found in various liqueurs and cordials, and has been since the late fifteenth century, but always in small amounts.

See also punch.

Wondrich, David. Punch. New York: Perigee, 2010.

By: David Wondrich