Glossary

Welcome to the glossary.

Pairing

Matching a cocktail or wine with food.

Part

A definition of mixed drink quantities by approximate portion, i.e. ‘1 part Smirnoff No.21 Vodka to 3 parts vermouth’.

Perfect

Equal amounts of dry and sweet vermouth, used when referring to the quantities in a martini, Manhattan and Rob Roy.

Perry

Cider made from pears, or a combination of pears and apple.

Peychaud’s Bitters

A spirit flavoured with herbs and spices, originally created by Antoine Peychaud, owner of an apothecary store in New Orleans, in the 1830s. Peychaud’s is an important component of the Sazerac cocktail.

Peychaud's Bitters

A spirit flavoured with herbs and spices, originally created by Antoine Peychaud, owner of an apothecary store in New Orleans, in the 1830s. Peychaud's is an important component of the Sazerac cocktail.

Piña Colada

How to make a Piña Colada
The translation of Piña Colada means ‘strained pinecone’ or ‘strained pineapple’, which is the fundamental base for this evocatively tropical recipe that blends cream of coconut, pineapple juice and Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold to evoke the perfect sun-drenched, desert island drink. Alternatively, as a play on the ultimate Tiki serve, you can also make a Tequila Piña Colada by replacing rum with Don Julio Blanco Tequila.

Check out the perfect tequila Piña Colada (ingredients and measures may vary)

Port

Fortified wine that comes in several styles, including vintage, vintage character, ruby, tawny and white.

Pot Still

A type of still used in distilling spirits, particularly gin and whisky and brandy – plus some vodkas. Heat is applied to the still containing the liquid, which then produces vapours. Cooled, these condense to form a spirit.

Premium

Spirits that are marked by close attention to detail in terms of ingredients, fermentation, distillation and/or ageing.

Punch

Traditionally a drink served in a large, wide bowl at parties, a Punch has a spirit base, a mixer such as fruit juice, sugar, herbs and water. The word comes from the Persian ‘panj’, or Hindi ‘panch’, meaning five ingredients and originated in India, before being introduced to America in the late 17th century by English sailors. It was the forerunner of the cocktail, emerging before it was defined and elaborated. The Cup is distinguished from a Punch as usually being based on liqueur, sloe gin, wine or cider, and with greater quantities of fruit juice.

How to make a Punch
Punches are best prepared a few hours in advance, to allow the fruit slices and spirit flavours to mingle. Pour ingredients into a large bowl, or Punch Bowl. You can also rub the surfaces or each fruit with lemon juice to prevent oxidation – a browning of the surface of the fruit. Add ice, sparkling mixer if using and a garnish just before serving. And bear in mind that trying to scale down the ingredients to make individual drinks never works as well because of the essential flavour mixing that takes place in a bigger serve.

Watch here for more on how to make a Planters Punch

Punch bowl

A dish used for mixing and serving Punch. Any large mixing bowl can be used in place of a specially designed Punch bowl.