Our Favorite Holiday Punches and Recipes

The expertise of the punch as a communal drink seems today to be a waning art. What was once a tasty libation that could satisfy almost every soiree, the tradition now often forgotten like the crystal bowl and cups given to newlyweds. But be it hot or chilled, punch deserves a second go around and a fresh set of downs. It’s time to scour the attic or neighborhood garage sales and find the vessel to make your party dreams come true, and we can help with our blog – Our Favorite Holiday Punches and Recipes.

A bit of punch history

Introduced to the Brits as early 17th century by the English East India Company, the Hindu word pãñć, meaning 5, morphed into “punch” as the drink containing five ingredients; alcohol, sugar, fruit and juice, spices, and water or a diluting beverage such as tea or coffee. Another take was that the English word “puncheon” describing a certain sized barrel used to transport alcohol on board ships was the origination. They immortalized the original recipe in a national rhyme, “One of Sour, Two of Sweet, Three of Strong and Four of Weak.” The meaning to include 1-part lime juice, 2 parts sugar or sweetener, 3 parts rum usually from Barbados, and 4 parts water or tea.

In addition, they added spices and bitters for complexity. Some historic punches include Planter’s Punch, Fish House Punch, Blow My Skull (Off); Australia, Pimm’s Cup; England and Jungle Juice; every fraternal mainstay in the USA.

So why Punch?

Because an exotic drink that’s molded to party theme and served without muss, fuss, or bartender is a straightforward decision. Not to mention you can usually pre-make your favorite a day or so in advance and store in batches as to refill quicker than chips and dip. Plus, recipes for warm or chilled punches are plentiful and are customizable to fit your celebration or your mood du jour. The prep for punches might differ a bit from one recipe to the next, but not by much.

It is unnecessary to keep the punch bowl full past the initial unveiling and remember to have extra fruit and accoutrements prepared and chilled. If chilled punch is to remain cool, then some temperature lowering apparatus will help. Refrain from ice unless it is in a large block that will melt slowly as watery potions are insufferable.

A cool idea (pun intended) is to make large cubes out of the base liquid and allow this to melt into the drink or scooped up with the ladle and deposited into the cup. Sherbet or ice cream frozen solid can serve as a coolant if the recipe coincides with the flavor. Other suggestions are to nestle punch bowls in an ice bath, poised in dry ice (be careful), or served in a refrigerated contraption. Just keep it cold and composed.

Hot punches are luscious winter treat that love to soak up spice and the warmth of alcohol and keep the smile of contentment on every partygoer’s face. Keep at room temperature in ¼ batches and added as needed. Double boiler set-ups, slow cookers and Dutch ovens on the back burner set on low or outside on the grill accessory burner are the best way to keep things warm and cozy. No bubbles and a temperature of less than 160°f will make sure your potable stays potent. If you’re using glass in a heated situation, please make sure it’s tempered and heat-proof. Metal is the best bet.

Many alcoholic and non-alcoholic recipes are available on Allrecipes.com, Delish.com, the Spruce Eats, and many other websites. We’d like to offer a few of our tried-and-true concoctions of our own. Play with the ingredients. Add to the list. Subtract one or two. Add more or less. The best thing about a recipe is that it is a plot waiting to expound upon. Make it sexier; make it lighter; make it more complex; bur make it your own!

Chilled Punches

Sangria

To chill this, it is best to freeze no pulp orange juice in large format cubes. Cut oranges; lime wheels and pineapple slices make this punch festive. All ingredients should be chilled.

• 750 ml (full bottle) red wine. Spanish Grenache or Pinot Noir is best.
• ½ cup orange juice (no pulp)
• ½ cup apple juice
• ½ cup pineapple juice
• 1 ¼ cup simple syrup (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water. Heat to a simmer. Cool)
• ½ cup good (not great) brandy
• ½ cup Cointreau or orange liqueur
• 1 medium apple cored and sliced into ¼ “pieces”
• 1 navel orange sliced into ¼” half-moons
• 1 can pineapple slices cut into ½ moons

Directions

In a 2-quart pitcher (or punch bowl) add the cut fruit and GENTLY muddle. Add the juices and simple syrup and stir. Add the wine, orange liqueur and brandy and stir with a rubber spatula. Add the orange juice cups and pour into serving glass and garnish with fruit.

Makes 12 5oz servings

Ol’ Fashioned

This is best chilled with large ice cubes served on the side. Cherries and orange wheels are colorful garnishes. Chill all ingredients with ½ batches kept in the refrigerator. Add your club soda last. When replenishing the punch remember a ½ batch only needs a ½ liter of club soda. Keep ice in a chill bucket equipped with a pair of tongs. Refill and drain as necessary.

Old Fashioned or 8oz rocks glasses work best for this drink, but some punch sets have 7oz glasses that will do just fine. The fruit in the punch will serve as the garnish, so have tongs or a spoon to assist the transfer to the glass.

• 750ml good bourbon. Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, Four Roses are some examples.
• 1 navel orange sliced into thin ½ moons (on a medium size orange 24 pieces)
• 1 cup maraschino cherries and juice (1 16oz jar will work nicely)
• 1/3 cup angostura bitters. Use the aromatic, not the orange flavored bitters.
• 1 ¼ cup simple syrup
• 1.5 liters cold club soda. (Don’t add until ready to serve)

Directions

In a minimum 70oz punch bowl, add the fruit, cherry juice, and aromatic bitters. Muddle gently, releasing the orange juice and slightly breaking the cherries. Add the bottle of bourbon and stir softly to incorporate. Add the liter of club soda and serve with a ladle into 8oz glasses with 2 ice cubes and fruit as a garnish.

Makes 18 4oz servings

Holiday Milk Punch

This is chilled best with ice cubes made of 1qt whole milk and 1 cup vanilla infused simple syrup (Recipe below). A one-time batch will fill 2 standard ice cube trays. Again, all ingredients should be cold and kept in the refrigerator after mixing until serving.

• 1Qt whole milk (skim can be subbed if necessary)
• 1Qt Heavy cream
• 2cups good bourbon
• 2cups good brandy
• 2cups vanilla simple syrup
• Freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg) sprinkled on top

Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup (makes 2 cups)

• 2cups water
• 2cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cups pure vanilla extract
• Heat all ingredients to a simmer; stir to combine; then cool

Directions

Add 1st 5 ingredients to a minimum 1-gallon punch bowl. Stick blend until well combined and frothy. Top with grated/ground nutmeg. Add milk ice cubes to the bowl or serve large ice cubes on the side.

Makes 20 5oz servings

Warm Punches

Pirates Apple Grog

Bring all non-alcoholic ingredients up to a temperature of about 200°f and stir to combine. Let cool just a bit. Add the alcohol and keep covered when not in service. All ingredients should start at room temperature.

• 2 Qt apple cider (non-alcoholic.)
• 2cups no pulp orange juice
• 1 lg apple cored and sliced into thin wedges
• 1 navel orange peel on and sliced into half moons
• 2oz piece of fresh ginger (about 1” long) peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 12 each star anise
• 750ml Dark Rum (Barbados is traditional but we find great everywhere examples)

Directions

In a large Dutch Oven, soup pot, or crock pot add all but the rum. Heat to a slow boil. 200° to 220°f. Reduce heat and continue to cook for 5min. Add rum and stir to combine. Cover and serve warm in coffee mugs.

Makes 20 5oz servings

Thanksgiving Mulled Punch

Although written for turkey day, this beverage is perfect for Christmas, New Years, and the 4th of July. Have all ingredients as close to room temperature as possible. Never boil the ingredients. The warmest this should get is no more than 180° with a serving temp of 140°f.

• 2 750ml or 1 1.5liter bottle of red wine. Cabernet is okay, but Zinfandel’s spice plays better.
• 1 cup good (not great) brandy. Looking for sweetness, heat and legs.
• ½ cup good maple syrup. Vermont’s will always be the best.
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 whole cinnamon sticks
• 4 whole Star Anise pods
• 1 Navel orange, peel on and sliced into thin ½ moons.
• 1 cup fresh cranberries

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker (best) or vessel of choice. Heat on low for 1 hour or until mixture reaches no more than 180°f. Reduce heat to warm and serve.

Makes 16 5oz servings

Spicy Après Ski Toddy 

You can pre-garnish each mug with a cinnamon stick and a lemon wheel. Ladle the libation and you’re ready. All ingredients except the tea should be at room temperature prior to mixing.

• 1 lemon, seeded and cut into thin wheels (you’ll need more if you plan to garnish)
• 1 navel orange sliced into thin ½ moons.
• 6 cinnamon sticks (you’ll need more for garnish)
• 6 star anise pods
• 6 cups hot tea (earl grey or any other hearty tea. Lipton will work as well)
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup local honey
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 3 cups good (not great) bourbon, whiskey, or rye
• 2 cups excellent brandy

Directions

Add all but the alcohol in a large pot and bring to a simmer/low boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring to incorporate the spice. Reduce heat and transfer to the serving vessel (unless that’s where it already is). Add the whiskey and brandy and serve warm in small mugs (4-6oz).

Makes 18 5oz servings

Final Thoughts

Impress your family and friends with your expertise on holiday punches and recipes, we won’t tell them where you got the background! Invigorate your parties with flavorful and exotic concoctions and enjoy the compliments on us. We also have a piece on Fall Beverage Styles you might want to look through that will compliment this blog perfectly.

We hope that you’ve found some useful information with our piece – Our Favorite Holiday Punches and Recipes. As always, if you don’t see something here you want us to cover, feel free to reach out to us directly through our Contact page or leave a comment below. Stay healthy and happy and enjoy the holidays! ~ Glen.

Bob Hollowell has been exploring the world of wine for almost 40 years and has no plans on slowing down anytime soon! He’s no stranger to the culinary circles and is passionate about teaching other’s the experiences one can receive through food and drink.

Bob is a Certified Sommelier from Court of Master Sommeliers and a Cicerone Certified Beer Server, but most importantly has been in the restaurant and commercial sales (wine, spirits and beer) industry for over 25 years, bringing a wealth of professional knowledge to The 55 Lifestyle and to our readers.