If you’re hosting a holiday party and looking for an easy way to meet the beverage needs of everyone — drinkers and not — a festive punch is a good solution, allowing your guests to serve themselves while still feeling treated to a crafted cocktail.
I like to set up a framed sign describing the cocktail and noting that those who desire a little tipple in their punch can add their spirit of choice (which should be lined up conveniently next to the punch).
This is a simple way to provide a tasty beverage for guests of all ages without having to be behind the bar making cocktails all evening. To add to the ambience, I have found some beautiful vintage punch bowls at neighborhood Goodwill and Salvation Army stores.
Chill your punch with large blocks of ice frozen in a plastic container, or you can purchase one for $4 from Hawaiian Ice Co. at Pier 38 (538-1430). One large block chipped in half is good for two punch bowls.
THIS FUN recipe might take you back to your college days (without the gnarly hangover). This punch has all the tropical flavors to make you feel like you’re on vacation, without high-fructose corn syrup or sugars that cause a headache the next day.
JUNGLE JUICE
By Chandra Lucariello
- 2-1/3 cups passion fruit puree (such as Boiron, found at Chef Zone)
- 2-1/3 cups lemon juice
- 1-1/2 cups orgeat syrup
- 2-1/4 cups pineapple juice
- 3-1/4 cups coconut water
>> Spirits on the side: Aged rum (like El Dorado 5-year or Bacardi 8-year), reposado tequila (like Espolon or Don Julio), vodka (like AO Japanese vodka or Grey Goose), or gin (like Bombay Sapphire)
Add all ingredients to punch bowl with large ice block. Garnish with thin pineapple wedges and thin clementine wheels, floating in glasses. Serves 25.
THIS DRINK is refreshing, bubbly and even good for your tummy with the use of the kombucha.
KeVita Lime Mint Coconut is a probiotic drink with no alcohol, very low in sugar and with a fun, fizzy quality that is great in the cocktail. Rather than a fake-tasting coconut flavor, KeVita’s is more of a subtle coconut-water profile, and the mint makes it super fresh.
An easy homemade lemongrass syrup adds to the southeast flavors of the drink. Kaffir lime leaves add a beautiful aromatic. I can almost always find kaffir (aka makrut) leaves at Don Quijote or Whole Foods Market.
The range of flavors pairs with a variety of clear spirits.
LIME IN THE COCONUT
By Chandra Lucariello
- 3 cups lime juice
- 3 cups lemongrass syrup (recipe follows)
- 9-1/4 cups lime-mint-coconut kombucha (such as KeVita)
Spirits on the side: blanco tequila (like Casa Noble or Casamigos), American-style gin (like Aviation or No. 209), silver rum (like Plantation 3 Stars White or Bacardi Maestro de Ron), or vodka (like Suntory Ao Japanese or Absolut Elyx)
Add lime and syrup to punch bowl. Add large ice block and pour kombucha over it. Garnish with thin lime wheels and kaffir lime leaves. Serves 25.
LEMONGRASS SYRUP
- 4 stalks lemongrass, chopped and smashed
- 2 lemons, peels removed
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Combine ingredients in pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Strain.
HERE IS a recipe from the punch master and ultimate cocktail historian, David Wondrich. True punch starts with an “oleo-saccharum” — oleo meaning oil or fat, saccharum meaning sugar; literally, oily sugar. It is made by macerating the oils of citrus peels with sugar, creating a richly aromatic and lively “syrup” that brightens any cocktail.
The punch ingredients are very simple — lemon/orange peels, sugar and black tea. The original recipe called for whiskey, and I find that Irish whiskey works best, but you can also use a nice London dry gin or a bourbon.
TEA TIME
Adapted from “Punch” by David Wondrich (TarcherPerigee, 2010)
- 3 lemons
- 2 oranges
- 6 ounces (3/4 cup) sugar
- 4-1/2 cups brewed black tea (using 5 tea bags)
>> Spirits on the side: Irish whiskey (like Jameson Black Barrel Reserve), London dry gin (like Beefeater), or bourbon (like Basil Hayden’s)
Use a vegetable peeler to peel lemons and oranges, removing as little of the white pith as possible; place peels in nonreactive bowl.
Pour sugar over peels. Muddle (crush) to extract oils from peels and blend in sugar (the resulting blend is called the “oleo-saccharum”). Let sit 30 minutes to an hour.
Squeeze the peeled lemons. You should have 6 ounces (3/4 cup) of juice (add more from another lemon if needed). Strain juice and stir into oleo-saccharum. Remove lemon and orange peels. Add tea and large ice block. Garnish with thin lemon wheels floating in punch bowl. Serves 12.
>> Note: To spike the whole punch bowl, add a full 750-milliliter bottle.
THIS PUNCH tastes like the holidays, but isn’t overly sweet or heavy with cream. It is a chameleon with spirits, as well, pairing with a variety of whiskeys, aged tequila and even lightly peated scotch.
SPICED POMEGRANATE CIDER
By Chandra Lucariello
- 3 cups pomegranate juice (such as Pom Wonderful)
- 3 cups Homemade Spiced Syrup (recipe follows)
- 3 cups fresh lemon juice
- 6-1/4 cups fresh orange juice
- 125 ounces (about 5 bottles) sparkling cider (such as Martinelli’s)
>> Spirits on the side: bourbon (like Maker’s Mark), rye whiskey (like High West Double Rye), Irish whiskey (like Jameson Black Barrel), reposado tequila (like Casamigos), or single-malt, lightly peated scotch (like Auchentoshan or Dalwhinnie)
Add all ingredients to punch bowl; add half a block of ice. Garnish with thin lemon wheels, 1-inch rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds or raspberries for color. Serves 50.
HOMEMADE SPICED SYRUP
- 4 star anise pods
- 8 cloves
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cups sugar
- 2-1/2 cups water
Toast all spices in dry saucepan over medium-high heat until fragrant.
Add water and bring to boil. Let boil 3 minutes, then add sugar; stir to dissolve. Cool completely and strain.
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Nutritional information unavailable.
Chandra Lucariello is director of mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ingredient note: The liquors and liqueurs used in these recipes are widely available from Oahu liquor stores and some supermarkets.
