Wherefore Art Thou, Delaware Punch?

Ice cream, soda, Delaware Punch,

Tell me the name of your honey bunch,

Does it start with an A, B, C, D, E.......?
(Schoolyard jumprope rhyme, circa 1940's)

I have a thing, I think,  for syrupy red punch drinks. I love Hawaiian Punch and I can drink tons of it....... so much that I end up with a cool red mustache- but by far my favorite punch of all was Delaware Punch. Delaware Punch was sold in California for a period of time in the 1980s, and then poof! It disappeared, rarely to be seen again. Like the wonderful Quisp cereal, Delaware Punch essentially disappeared- but unlike Quisp- Delaware Punch has pretty much stayed gone.

The definitive source for Delaware Punch is really found online at  http://www.delawarepunch.org/ which is the unofficial location of information on Delaware Punch. That's where I found this picture:

Come back Delaware Punch! 

Delaware Punch was created in 1923 by Thomas Lyons. The brand is currently owned by Coca-Cola. According to Coca-Cola it is available in the United States and Mexico. Like any great punch, it is non-carbonated, with the base flavor for this one being grape. It is caffeine free, and sweet sweet sweet. The "Delaware" in its name refers to a type of grape, not to the state, from which it came-  Delware County, Ohio. According to Wikipedia the drink is difficult to locate in most of the United States due to the coloring agent used (allura red.) It is currently bottled in Guatemala and Mexico. 

It is no doubt an additive that offers no nutritional value to things it is put into, and according to what I could find it make kids run in circles and bounce off of walls.

A Pretty Convincing Imitator

I spent the better part of two years trying to buy it, but have given up the search. With the exception of Texas and Louisiana, it is impossible to locate at a reasonable price, though there is a wonderful substitute available called Red Ribbon Pennsylvania Punch made by Natrona Bottling Company that comes pretty close. Although its color is closer to brown than purple, it is pretty amazing. For those of us in undeserving states, this is as close to the real deal we are going to get. And so it goes. Here's to the FDA and their protective guidelines.