Christmas punch recipes do not get simpler than this one: cranberry juice, dry sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale and dark rum, poured over ice. That makes it an easy party drink for Christmas Eve, a holiday open house or New Year, since nothing is cooked. Twenty glasses from one bowl.
Every bottle has to come out of the fridge cold, not just the wine. Room temperature liquid melts the ice fast and flattens the bubbles, so the punch is weak and still within the hour.
The liquids alone come to just over a gallon before any ice goes near the bowl. Most punch bowls hold a gallon and a half, so tipping in a whole bag of ice first leaves nowhere for the drink to go.
Christmas Punch
Course: DrinksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes300
kcalCranberry juice, brut sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale and dark rum stirred over ice and finished with orange wheels and whole cranberries. Twenty glasses, no cooking, ten minutes once everything is cold.
Ingredients
1 large bag of ice
5 cups (40 ounces) 100% cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail
2 bottles (750 ml each) very dry sparkling wine, such as brut Prosecco, cava or champagne
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) diet ginger ale
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) dark rum or brandy
2 oranges, thinly sliced into rounds
1 cup fresh cranberries
Directions
- Chill everything: Make sure the cranberry juice, sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale and rum are all well chilled before you start.
- Ice the bowl: Fill a large punch bowl with ice.
- Pour: Top the ice with the cranberry juice, sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale and rum.
- Stir: Stir gently to combine, so the bubbles survive.
- Garnish: Float the orange slices and fresh cranberries over the top and serve.
FAQs
What size punch bowl do I need?
The liquid in this recipe comes to just over a gallon, which is more than most people picture when they read punch. A two gallon bowl holds it with room for ice. If yours is smaller, keep a bottle of the sparkling wine back and top the bowl up as it empties.
Why does this take longer than the ten minutes on the card?
Ten minutes is the pouring, not the chilling, and the first line of the method says every ingredient must already be cold. Bottles need four hours in the fridge, overnight if you want to be safe. Plan the chilling the day before and the punch itself really is ten minutes.
How do I stop the ice watering it down?
Loose ice cubes melt fast in a warm room and thin the punch within the hour. Freeze a ring or a block instead, because a single large piece melts far slower than the same weight in cubes. Frozen cranberries and orange slices do the same job and look better.
Which sparkling wine should I use?
Dry is the word that matters, so look for brut on the label rather than anything marked demi sec or sweet. Prosecco, cava and champagne all work and the cheaper two taste no different once mixed. If you would rather skip the wine, this santa claus cranberry punch is built on juice.
What should I serve with Christmas punch?
Something salty and rich, because the punch is sharp and fizzy and cuts straight through it. Small things people can hold in one hand work best at a party. These cranberry brie bites pick up the same cranberry note on the plate.
