The Admiral’s Punch That Got Six Thousand People Drunk

On Christmas Day in 1694, the English admiral Edward Russell managed to get six thousand people drunk — and to have the bill picked up by the Royal Navy. The feat hinged on an outsized bowl of punch, served not in a bowl at all but in a fountain, and stirred by a young boy circling the basin in a small canoe.

The Fountain Punch

Here is the setup. Edward Russell was in Cádiz. He would have preferred to spend the winter at home, but he had received an order from the king and could not refuse. In a melodramatic turn, he briefly contemplated suicide — then redirected himself toward revelry. He spotted a fountain set in the middle of a garden of lemon and orange trees, had it scrubbed until it shone like a mirror, and ordered the ingredients poured in. No dashes, no jiggers, no cups: the unit of measure was the barrel. By the end, the total was said to exceed 2,600 liters of punch.

To make sure it stayed properly mixed, a young man paddled in circles. Some sources say he had to be replaced every fifteen minutes, lest the alcoholic fumes make him faint. Others claim the guests grew so enthusiastic that they climbed into the fountain fully clothed, shoes and all — aristocratic composure be damned. Either way, the party was a triumph, and the British Navy does not appear to have taken the charge too badly.

From Edward Russell’s Punch to Modern Cocktails

Centuries passed, and the ritual of punch shed its skin. What had once been a communal celebration for people with time to spare became a small gratification for industrious individualists: no more shared bowls — certainly no fountains — only single glasses ordered as needed. Hence today’s measurements in milliliters, arrived at through the calculations of the historian David Wondrich