Christmas Punch

This delicious Christmas Punch recipe is fruity and delicious! Make it with rum for a punch with alcohol, or omit for non alcoholic.

Christmas Punch

Need a great punch recipe for the holidays? Try this Christmas Punch! The flavor is fruity and delicious, with a little sparkle from ginger ale. You can make it with rum for a punch with alcohol, or omit it for non alcoholic. Either way, it tastes incredible!

As two drink and cocktail experts, we’re big fans of punches and pitchers because they make it so simple to serve a crowd. Garnish it up with sliced citrus, rosemary branches, and cranberries, and it makes a festive centerpiece for any gather.

Ingredients in this Christmas punch recipe

This Christmas Punch recipe is easy with minimal ingredients, perfect for no-fuss holiday entertaining! When it comes to punch, we’ve found that it’s not any “anything goes” situation. After some careful testing and tweaking, we found the perfect combination of juices, carbonated bubbles, and optional alcohol. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Cranberry 100% juice blend: This blend of juices is available at most grocery stores, and typically blends grape, apple, and pear juice with cranberry juice. Make sure to look for “100% juice” or “no sugar added” on the label.
  • Pineapple juice: Pineapple adds just the right tropical flair; it’s great for using in punch recipes.
  • Ginger ale: Ginger ale adds just the right carbonation! It’s sweeter than ginger beer, which would also work but has in a spicier ginger flavor.
  • Rum: This makes it into a Christmas rum punch! But it’s just as good without as a non alcoholic punch.

Make it with rum or non alcoholic

You can add the alcohol right to the Christmas punch, of course! But if you’re entertaining with kids, it’s nice to allow drinkers to spike the drink afterwards. This offers most flexibility—you can serve both an alcoholic and non alcoholic punch at the same time!

  • Add the rum to the punch bowl. If you’re serving all adults, throw the rum right in.
  • Or, spike the drink afterwards! The better way to make an alcoholic Christmas punch is to spike the drink after you ladle it out of the punch bowl. This makes it work for both kids and adults! The best ratio is 2 ounces rum (¼ cup) to 8 ounces (1 cup) punch.
  • Or, serve it as a non alcoholic punch! It’s just as delicious.
Christmas Punch recipe

Three Christmas punch alcohol options

What’s the best alcohol for Christmas punch? Here are a few options and how it changes the flavor:

  • Rum: Aged rum, aka añejo rum, has notes of vanilla, coconut, almond, citrus, or caramel. White rum has a straightforward flavor with a signature fruity finish. Dark rum would make the color very dark, but you can use it if you like—it adds deep, caramel flavor and notes of cinnamon and spices.
  • Bourbon: Bourbon is also ideal for a Christmas punch! Bourbon adds spicy notes, with hints of vanilla and caramel.
  • Champagne or Prosecco: Or, go for a bubbly punch! Add champagne or Prosecco right before serving (see Holiday Punch).

Ways to garnish the bowl

The best part about a good Christmas punch recipe? All the garnishes! A good punch has some lovely garnishes floating on top. Here are some of our favorite ideas:

  • Sliced citrus: orange, lemon or lime
  • Pineapple rings
  • Whole spices: star anise, cinnamon sticks, or cloves
  • Rosemary sprigs
  • Fresh or frozen cranberries or raspberries
Christmas punch alcoholic

Serving notes to preserve the bubbles

This Christmas punch takes just a few minutes to throw together. But if you want to prep some items in advance, here’s what to do!

  • Chill the liquids in advance. Adding ice waters it down too much, so chill everything prior to serving.
  • Slice the citrus and assemble the garnishes. Make sure you’ve got everything on hand. Refrigerate the citrus until serving.
  • Add the ginger ale right before serving. You can pour everything in the bowl, but try to add the ginger ale right before serving. This way you get the best bubbles!
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Christmas Punch

Christmas Punch
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This delicious Christmas Punch recipe is fruity and delicious! Make it with rum for a punch with alcohol, or omit for non alcoholic.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 12 to 16
  • Category: Drink
  • Method: Punch
  • Cuisine: Drink
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

  • 64 ounces cranberry 100% juice blend, chilled
  • 32 ounces pineapple juice, chilled
  • 32 ounces ginger ale, chilled
  • 1 750 ml bottle aged rum (optional)*
  • 1 orange
  • 1 lemon
  • For the garnish: 5 star anise, fresh or frozen cranberries, rosemary sprigs

Instructions

  1. Add the cranberry juice blend, pineapple juice, and ginger ale to a punch bowl. Add the rum, if using. Garnish with orange and lemon slices, and if desired, cranberries, star anise and rosemary sprigs.

Notes

*Or, make it both alcoholic and non alcoholic! Spike the drink after you ladle it out of the punch bowl: add 2 ounces rum to 8 ounces (1 cup) punch.

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More punch recipes

Love entertaining? Here are a few more punch recipes to add to your repertoire that work in various seasons!



from A Couple Cooks
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Sonja Overhiser
December 19, 2024 at 09:00AM

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