Punch In Surprise

Have six different fancy moulds, resembling in shape an apple, pear, banana, tomato, pineapple and peach. Fill a tin pan with ice well mixed with rock salt, lay on it the six moulds, opened flat, fill them with cold water, also the pan to half its height, and let them remain for half an hour, feeling the interiors of the mould to ascertain whether a crust adheres to them. Have in readiness any kind of punch; take up each mould separately, empty out the water, fill one after another with the punch, close tightly, and lay them in a pail previously prepared with broken ice and rock salt at the bottom; cover with a liberal allowance of extra ice and salt, and let them freeze for an hour. Have ready a cold dish with a folded napkin over it; pour some warm water into a vessel, take up each mould separately, dip it into the water and quickly wash off any ice or salt that may adhere; turn them out carefully, place them on a dish and send to the table.

Kirsch Punch

Put in a dish one-fourth pound of powdered sugar with one pint of cold water, grate in the rind of a small lemon, squeezing in the juice of one and one-half good-sized ones, and beat well together with the spatula for five minutes; add one gill of kirsch, mix a little more, and strain through a sieve into a freezer. Place the lid on and lay it in an ice-tub, filling the freezer all around with broken ice mixed slightly with rock salt, and turn the handle as briskly as possible for two minutes. Lift up the lid and with a wooden spoon detach the punch from the sides and bottom of the freezer. Re-cover it and turn the handle briskly for three minutes more; uncover again and detach the punch the same as before, being careful that no ice or salt drops in. Put the lid on and repeat the same operation three times more. When ready, serve in half a dozen small punch glasses.

Maraschino Punch

Put one pound of sugar in a basin with one quart of water and add the juice of a lemon and an orange and one breakfast cupful of maraschino. When it is well mixed strain it into a freezer again, when it will be ready for use.

Roman Punch

Pour into a freezing-pot one quart of peach water-ice, a bottle of dry champagne, two wineglassfuls of noyau, and the strained juice of four oranges. Color it a delicate pink with a few drops of cochineal, and flavor with essence of vanilla. Work the mixture until almost frozen, then add gradually the whites of three eggs made into Italian meringue; work all together quickly until smooth, and then serve.

Strawberry Punch

Pick the stems from one quart of freshly-gathered ripe strawberries, put the fruit into a deep dish, cover them with two and one-half breakfast cupfuls of sugar, and leave till a thick syrup has formed. Pass the strawberries and syrup through a fine hair-sieve into a freezer and mix with them one teacupful of sweet wine and one and one-half breakfast cupfuls of water; stir until mixed, and leave until frozen. Serve the punch in small glasses.