In an interview with The San Francisco Bay Guardian, cocktail historian Dave Wondrich called punch "the greatest social drink of all time," and it's easy to see why. The punch bowl is the water cooler of the party, promoting conversation as people surround it to partake. No punch bowl, you say? For 10 potential punch bowl candidates, read on:
Back in the day, nearly every house had a punch bowl, which is good news for the rest of us, as it means eBay and Etsy are full of vintage options that can be had for a song. While you could probably make do with an errant vase or stock pot, why pass up a chance to accessorize?
Top row, modern
1. 10-piece punch bowl set — Crate&Barrel $39.95
2. Etched glass punch bowl set — UrbanBelleCouture $98
3. Mikasa ripple punch bowl with ladle — Mikasa $50
4. Dual-purpose cake plate/punch bowl — Williams Sonoma $30
5. Apothecary beverage dispenser — Z Gallerie $49.95
Bottom row, vintage
6. Antique Radiant Peacock punch set — Belleocchio $395
7. Vintage emerald green punch bowl set — OurModernHistory $45
8. Silver rim punch bowl set — VioletQVintage $200
9. Amber glass vintage punch bowl set — LALSArt $79.95
10. Ribbed punch bowl set — Down to the Country $24.45
Images: As credited above.
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Four-P...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
I got a great vintage punchbowl at a thrift store for about $6 and I always see more. I do love the sleek modern styles though!
I love them, but I'd have to build an addition to my kitchen in order to store a punch bowl.
Where do you keep them???
My family has the Antique Radiant Peacock punch set, I had no idea it was valued at $395. Thank you Great-Grandparents!
I really like that first one but I am afraid that I would not use it enough to justify the storage space.
I have two sets of the 8th one, the Silver rim punch bowl set, that I've picked up at estate auctions. I do love than vintage Mad Men style, but I certainly wouldn't think $200 is a fair price for them.
I like the C&B one because the focus is on the punch, rather than the bowl itself. Mmm ... punch.
The best punch bowl set-up I ever saw was in a holiday issue of Metropolitan Home from the early'90s (hmm, could have been 1989). They made the point that the matchy punch bowl sets are rather uptight, and so had a lovely mismatch of glasses -- different styles, different materials, from silver julep cups to cut crystal punch cups to simple Venetian blown footed glasses. I think it was all combined with a very simple punch bowl. Anyways, it has stuck with me all these years as my favourite punch set-up.
Gee, I wish MetHome were still around; they had some great stuff in their day.
A caution - I had the most gorgeous and sleek punch bowl, much like the ones you are showcasing. It came with a glass ladle. I loaned it to a friend for her small wedding reception. A guest filled a cup, gently set the ladle back into the bowl, and rested the ladle handle on the side of the rim; however, the scopp portion was on top of the punch, not sunken in. The scopp began to sink, and it caused the ladle handle to snap hard against the gorgeous beveled rim. This mishap made giant chips in the side of the punch bowl, which not only destroyed my beloved punch bowl set, but it also destroyed the punch, making it unsafe to drink. Never use a glass ladle, even though they come with them and are beautiful. Even if you have someone serve the punch, it takes concentration each time to sink the scoop portion of the ladle deep into the beverage. It broke my heart to lose the bowl. And the irony is that I hadn't even used it yet. Buy a nice plastic ladle and also use tremendous care around the punch bowls that have a beveled edge.
*Sorry for my typos in my prior post.
Kkyle: Just an FYI.. the antique radiant peacock set is valued at well over $450+ if it is the original set from the early 1900's not a remake. The one pictured is just listed on Etsy for that discounted price of $395. Hold on to yours... it is an amazing piece of Americana and looks oh, so chic used at the holidays serving up some frothy eggnog! Cheers