Charles Dickens loves a good punch, and the alcoholic concoctions make appearances in many of his novels. The perhaps least fortunate of his characters, Bob Cratchit, drinks a punch made of gin and lemon. Although the text only refers to two ingredients, its likely referencing a much more complicated mixed drink—Slate investigates the recipe the Cratchits drank to forget their troubles.
Getting Drunk with Bob Cratchit
Ian MacAllen
Ian MacAllen is the author of Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American (Rowman & Littlefield, April 2022). His writing has appeared in Chicago Review of Books, Southern Review of Books, The Offing, 45th Parallel Magazine, Little Fiction, Vol 1. Brooklyn, and elsewhere. Find him at IanMacAllen.com.