Holiday party punch is cranberry juice, sparkling cider and ginger ale poured over ice, sharpened with fresh lemon and spiked with vodka if you want it. Orange slices float on the top. Five minutes, one bowl, and it pours about eighteen cups for a party.
One bottle of sparkling cider is not a measurement. Bottles run from 750 milliliters to 25 ounces, and the cider is a quarter of this drink. The recipe swings by a full cup depending on what you pick up.
The calorie count on the card includes the vodka, even though the vodka is marked optional. Their 265 a serving only adds up with it in. Leave it out and the same glass is closer to a third of that.
Holiday Party Punch
Course: DrinksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes300
kcalThree cold drinks poured straight over ice with a squeeze of fresh lemon to stop it tasting like soda. Vodka goes in or stays out, and orange slices sit on the surface.
Ingredients
4 cups cranberry juice
One 750-milliliter bottle sparkling cider
1 liter ginger ale
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
12 ounces vodka, optional
1 orange, sliced
Ice, to fill the bowl
Directions
- Ice the bowl: Half fill a large punch bowl with ice.
- Add the liquids: Pour in the cranberry juice, sparkling cider, ginger ale, lemon juice and the vodka if you are using it, then stir once to combine.
- Garnish and serve: Float the orange slices on top for garnish and serve.
FAQs
How many does it really serve?
The card says eight, but the liquid comes to 105 ounces, which is thirteen ounces a head. Punch cups hold five or six, so eighteen is the realistic number. At eighteen it works out near 110 calories a cup with the vodka and about 65 without.
Can I mix it ahead?
Chill the cranberry juice, the cider and the ginger ale a day early and squeeze the lemons in the morning. Everything else happens in the bowl as people arrive. Mixing it early flattens both of the fizzy parts well before anyone drinks it.
What can I use instead of vodka?
White rum works and keeps the drink clean, while bourbon turns it heavier and warmer. Gin fights the cranberry, so leave that one out. Twelve ounces across eighteen cups is light either way, so pour more if the crowd wants it.
What if I want something hot instead?
This one is built on ice and fizz, so warming it is not an option. A hot punch needs spices and a slow cooker rather than ginger ale. For the warm version of a party bowl, try this wassail.
What do I serve with it?
Something you can hold in one hand while holding a cup in the other. Nothing that needs a plate or a fork works at a drinks table. These polenta and chicken tartlets fit that exactly.
