Everyone talks about how wonderful Pimm’s and punting are
– you practically hear nothing else during Michaelmas and
Hilary, and when Trinity comes round, everyone is too busy
Pimmsing and punting to talk about how wonderful they are. You
may, however, be a novice in this most Oxonian of areas, thus
hereafter are basic instructions on how to dip your toes into the
water (or not, rather). The perfect pint of Pimm’s: the secret is to use much
more Pimm’s than you might have been told to – if you
use the recommended ratio, you will end up with something which
tastes like orangeade. The perfect ratio is one-third Pimm’s
to two-thirds lemonade. If you have ever seen a well-made jug of
Pimm’s, you’ll know that plenty of fruit is required;
if you are going to do it properly, you need lemon and cucumber
slices, strawberries, and mint leaves. As well as looking pretty
and like it may be vaguely healthy (five portions a day,
anyone?), the fruit segments will end up saturated with
Pimm’s and will wait for you at the bottom of your glass. Punting technique: a punt pole is technically called a quant.
First, get the punt, the pole, the paddle, some mats and a river.
This may sound obvious, but this is an elementary guide. To move
forwards, lower the quant into the water on the left-hand side of
the punt (if right-handed), wait for it to touch the bottom and
walk your hands down it; try to keep the quant parallel with the
side of the punt. Other methods are possible –
experimentation is part of the fun, so go wild. Once your hands
are at the top of the quant, pull it out and repeat. You steer by
pulling the quant through the water behind the punt. Enjoy!ARCHIVE: 6th week TT 2004
Bored this summer? Try… Pimms and Punting
