Now that it’s December, we know that most of you will soon be attending a holiday party or two (or ten). If you’re planning on throwing your own bash, whether its with coworkers or some close friends, you’ll want to provide fun festive cocktails to get everyone in the seasonal spirit. Instead of buying bulk bottles of booze, we suggest befriending these holiday punch bowl recipes—they’re sure to spice up any holiday shindig.
Blood Orange Sangria (4-6 servings)
- 6 blood oranges
- 1 (750ML) bottles of pinot Grigio
- 1 cup club soda
- ½ cup brandy
- 12 oz. sliced strawberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 chopped apple
- ½ cup sugar (for glass rim)
Combine sugar and zest of one blood orange in a small bowl. Juice four of the blood oranges. Chop the remaining blood oranges into pieces. In a large pitcher, mix wine, brandy, blood orange juice, club soda, apples, strawberries, raspberries and blood oranges. Stir well. Rim your glasses and fill each with a ice. Serve.
Note: the longer the sangria sits, the better it will be. So feel free to make ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
Pomegranate Sangria (4-6 servings)
- 1 bottle red wine
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- ½ cup brandy
- ½ cup triple sec
- ¼ cup simple syrup
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 large, thinly sliced orange
- 1 thinly sliced green apple
- 1 cup red grapes sliced in half
Combine all ingredients in a bowl or pitcher, cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 to 48 hours. Serve over ice.
Lemon Drop Champagne Punch (8 servings)
- 3 lemons
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 bottle (750ML) chilled champagne
- ¾ cup chilled vodka
- 4 oz. candied lemon peels
Remove zest from each lemon in long spirals. Juice lemons and strain pulp. Set aside. Heat sugar and water in small saucepan; stir until sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add zest. Let syrup and zests cool for about two hours. Pour champagne, vodka, lemon juice and syrup into a punch bowl and stir. Serve.
Earl Grey Gin Punch (16 servings)
- 20 oz. dry gin
- 6 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 10 oz. Earl Grey tea
- 7 oz. granulated sugar
- ½ oz. orange bitters
- a few sprigs of rosemary
In a large pitcher, combine four Earl Grey tea bags with ten ounces of cold water. Let sit and cool for at least 10 hours. Strain into another large pitcher or bowl and mix with gin, lemon juice, sugar and bitters. Pour combination into a punch bowl over an ice block and garnish with rosemary sprigs. Serve.