Friday, December 7, 2012

Cheers to the Holidays with Christmas Punch



{UPDATE} I am also thrilled to announce that I will once again be working with Helene Dujardin & Clare Barboza as the Kitchen Manager/Chef for their April 2013 Food & Lifestyle Photography Workshop in Gulf Shores, Alabama!  Tickets go on sale Tuesday December 11th, so make sure you get one before they're gone!  

Our decorations are hung. Our tiny christmas tree is trimmed.  Some of the shopping is done. Christmas sugar cookies have been cut out & decorated. And I have made and consumed Christmas punch.  The season is off to a great start!  


Every holiday season, my family makes this Christmas punch.  Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without this particular punch.


Traditionally, on the evening of Thanksgiving, not so very long after Thanksgiving Dinner, all the leftovers are pulled out. Sandwiches are assembled.  And this punch is served, most likely in disposable cups (often of the red solo variety) with everyone’s name in sharpie on their own cup.


To my palate, the flavors help signal the official start of the holiday season.  Traditionally, this punch is made with cranberry cocktail juice, lemon/lime soda & lemonade concentrate.  However, when I make it, I often like to tweak the recipe, ever so slightly and add limeade concentrate instead.


And depending on who my serving audience is, I sometimes like to make it a bit more “grown up” by slightly spiking the punch with a little gin (or vodka works too, if your prefer).  I’ve also contemplated substituting sparkling wine for part of the soda, but that’s a variation I haven’t had a chance to try yet.


What’s great about this punch is the relative simplicity of the ingredients and how easily it can be made for small groups or large groups.  This time, I made only a small pitcher. But for our Thanksgiving gathering with friends, I made a whole punch bowl full.


Cheers to the holidays!


Christmas Punch
16 oz (2 cups) Cranberry Cocktail Juice
16 oz (2 cups) Lemon Lime soda
3 oz (approx generous 1/3 cup) Limeade concentrate, thawed 
Ice 
Limes & Cranberries for garnish
Gin or Vodka (optional) 

1.  Stir together the juice, soda & concentrate.
2.  Add ice & limes & cranberries for garnish.
3.  Serve immediately.

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6 comments:

  1. It looks beautiful! And with a healthy splash of vodka it could be the most festive Cosmo around. Sitting here at work, I can't help but wish for a tall frosty glass...oh heck, I want the pitcher :D

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  2. I made this with my Christmas dinner and just amazing and I received rave reviews from my family. :)

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  3. 1.5/5 was very bland, even with a cup and a half of vodka in it! bleh

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  4. another great variation and crowd pleaser:
    cran/pomegranate juice 4cups; 2 cups pineapple juice; 1/4 cup frozen limeade; 1 cup gingerale; vodka on the side for those who prefer to partake in an adult beverage!

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  5. how much vodka do you add to the recipe above?

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