A hundred years ago alcohol was prohibited in the United States. The prohibition era went from 1920 to 1933. Cookbooks published during that time period seldom contain recipes that call for alcohol, but there are recipes for lots of nonalcoholic drinks. I recently came across a recipe for Dry State Punch in a 1925 cookbook. I was intrigued, and decided to give it a try.
I made this recipe on a 90° day and it was delightful. It’s a perfect summer drink. The Dry State Punch was zesty and refreshing. It contains grapefruit juice, orange juice, lemon juice, and pineapple juice.
Here’s the original recipe:
It is a little confusing how the list of ingredients calls for “juice of grape fruit,” but the directions call for adding “grape juice.” I decided to go with grapefruit juice, but am not absolutely certain that is what the recipe author intended. I added all the fruit juices to the sugar syrup while it was still hot, and did not wait until it cooled to add the grapefruit juice.
I used lemon-lime soda when I made this recipe. Either candied cherries or Maraschino cherries would work as a garnish. Citron is listed as a garnish in the directions, but I didn’t use it.
I didn’t fresh-squeeze either the grapefruit or orange juice, but rather used juice that I bought at the store. I did an online search and found out how much juice a typical grapefruit and orange contain, and then went with that amount. For the pineapple juice, I opened a can of pineapple chunks and poured the juice off and used it. (I did squeeze the lemon to get the lemon juice.)
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Dry State Punch
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
juice of 1 grapefruit (about 3/4 cup)
juice of 1 orange (about 1/3 cup)
juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 cups lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-up, etc.)
candied or Maraschino cherries
Put the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil using medium heat. Remove sugar syrup from the heat, and add the grapefruit juice, orange juice, and lemon juice. Chill. Just before serving, add lemon lime soda. Garnish with cherries.
Hmm, the instructions were a bit confusing in the original recipe you found. I liked your interpretation of the recipe. It made it a lot easier to follow. I wonder if the soda was just plain soda water since a simple syrup was made to add sweetness. I did wonder how widespread bottled soda pop was. I know it was first bottled in Vicksburg, MS starting in 1894. https://retirementrvdream.com/2024/04/03/visiting-the-coke-cola-museum-in-vicksburg-ms/
I found a recent recipe that said 1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes when everything else in the recipe was in cups. Why not say 1 cup of cherry tomatoes?
You may be right that the recipe author intended for cooks to use just plain soda water. Sometimes it’s so difficult to tell exactly what the recipe author meant when reading old recipe. Thanks for sharing the link for the Coca Cola museum. It looks fascinating. If I ever get to MS, I’ll have to visit it.
It was really hard to understand the original recipe. I just wondered how common soda pop was a hundred years ago.
I believe that they used seltzer water added to the syrups back then. Much like the Italian sodas of today.
Sounds delicious!
It’s tasty.
That does look so refreshing!
It’s a lovely summer punch.
This drink does sound very refreshing.
It was really good. This is one of those recipes that I may may again and serve to friends.
This recipe sounds delightfully tasty!
It was yummy.
It looks great. Non-alcoholic drinks are a thing right now.
You’re absolutely right. I frequently see recipes for mocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks.
YUM!