Be it Wassail, Glogg, Bishop, Rumfustian, or simply good old-fashioned eggnog, the best punch mingles ingredients the same way a good party mingles personalities. Something (or someone) sweet, something potent, a dash of spice, a hint of tartness—the mixture in the bowl is swirled and poured out with a ladle, the cups are passed, conversation begins. But what of the bowl itself? Are you an English-transferware person, restrained and classically elegant, or a devotee of brilliant-cut glass, complex and sparkling? Is well-polished silver your signature or maybe homey ironstone...

The article to the left features punch bowls from Elise Abrams Antiques: the Aesthetic Movement transfer ware (upper right) as well as all three pictured together with candles on the next page.