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Punch Recipe
Punches are just a big bowl of cocktails, but they are great when serving lots of people.
A gallon of punch fills about 32 punch cups, and each guest will drink two or three cups. So, count on a gallon to serve about 12 people.
Mix several pitchers of the liquors and nonperishable flavorings before the party. Keep them all cool, ready for last minute blending. Mix each batch in the order specified.
A large block of ice is better than ice cubes because there is less dilution and it is easier to work around a block with a ladle. To guard against weakening your punch, freeze some of the nonalcoholic liquids and use them as your ice block.
If tea is an ingredient, make it strong by using additional tealeaves rather than by long steeping, which results in a bitter, tannic taste.
As sugar is hard to dissolve in cold fruit juices, and even more so in liquid containing alcohol, keep sugar syrup on hand for adjusting sweetness.
Chill all ingredients beforehand. Then chill your bowl. If it is too big to put in your refrigerator, pack the bowl with crushed ice, let it stand long enough to get thoroughly cold, empty the bowl, and put your punch ingredients in it immediately.
Strips of cucumber peel or slices of unpeeled cucumber can add a nice flavor and somehow help to blend the tastes of the other ingredients. They should be left in the mix for only about fifteen minutes, however; if they stay in too long they impart bitterness.
Do not fill the punch bowl with lots of cut-up fruits. Your guests want a refreshing drink, not a fruit salad. Champagne or other sparkling wine and any carbonated liquid, such as soda water, should be added last.
Cold punches may be served in a bowl of any material. Hot punches may crack a glass or china bowl; metal is the best choice. To avoid cracking a glass cup, put a metal spoon in it before filling with a hot drink.
Holiday entertaining can be made simple by offering a punch bowl
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Spiced Rum and Tea Punch Epicurious offers Grossmutters Punsch, a traditional German Punch that is served warm at midnight on Christmas Eve. |