Drinking punch in the eighteenth-century was a convivial social occasion with a distinct equipage. The London date mark of 1750-1751 on this strainer suggests that it was part of the Custis plate brought by Martha Washington to Mount Vernon from her first marriage. A necessary implement of fashionable entertaining in any genteel colonial Virginia home, the strainer removed remnants of spices and fruit pulp from the potent mixture of East or West Indian spirits, citrus juice, sugar, and spices. It likely served guests to both the Custis and Washington households and was used at Mount Vernon throughout the Washingtons' lifetimes.