I like to serve some fun drinks when I entertaining during the holidays – for a hot drink, I opt for slow cooker apple cider or homemade hot chocolate. For a cold drink, I serve this easy Christmas punch, and it always gets rave reviews. If you’re entertaining adults, don’t forget to also offer some festive Jello shots!
Christmas Punch Ingredients
To make Christmas punch, make sure you have pomegranate-cranberry juice, frozen limeade concentrate, lime flavored sparkling water, fresh cranberries, lime slices and mint sprigs. Move over eggnog, this punch is one of my favorite drink recipes for Christmas parties. While you enjoy this cool beverage, why not snack on some appetizers like cheese ball bites, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers or pigs in a blanket.
How Do You Make Christmas Punch?
To make this Christmas punch recipe, first place the pomegranate-cranberry juice in a large pitcher along with a can of frozen limeade concentrate. Stir the mixture until well combined. Pour in some sparkling water and stir. Garnish the pitcher with sliced limes, fresh cranberries and mint. Serve right away, or refrigerate for later use.
Tips For The Perfect Drink
I use a pomegranate-cranberry juice blend. This drink contains sugar and other fruit juices which makes it sweet and pleasant to drink. Do not try to use plain unsweetened cranberry or pomegranate juices, they’ll be much too tart. I use a lime flavored sparkling water with no added sugar. You can serve this drink either in a pitcher, drink dispenser or a punch bowl, whichever is more convenient. Freeze your cranberries before you add them to the drink. They will serve as ice cubes – the drink will stay cold but won’t get watered down! You can also make ice cubes with cranberries or lime wedges in them, or even a festive ice ring if you’re using a punch bowl. You can double this recipe to make a big-batch of punch for all your guests. Just make sure you have a big container. You can also make multiple batches during the holiday season.
Flavor Variations
This non-alcoholic Christmas punch is light and refreshing as-is; however, you can modify this holiday punch recipe to suit your own taste:
Sparkling Water: Instead of lime flavored sparking water you could use plain sparkling water, or the lemon or orange flavors. My store even has a seasonal cranberry orange flavor which would be delicious! Garnish: Fresh pomegranate seeds make a nice garnish if cranberries aren’t available. You could also use blackberries or cherries. Orange: You could make an orange version of this drink with orange juice concentrate instead of lime juice concentrate and a few orange slices. Spiced: Try a winter spice version of this punch by adding a half teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of allspice and a quarter teaspoon of ground cloves. Sweeter: If you want a sweeter taste you can add a little ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, white grape juice or pineapple juice to the holiday punch.
AlcoholIc Christmas Punch
You can turn this Christmas punch into an alcoholic beverage with the addition of any of the following
Champagne (add 2 cups) Prosecco (add 2 cups) Red Wine (add 2 cups) Rum (add 1 cup) Brandy (add 1 cup) Vodka (add 1 cup)
I’ve listed my recommended alcohol amounts above, but you can always add a bit more for a stronger drink. I make Christmas punch for every winter gathering, and I always make a big pitcher of it on Christmas Day for everyone to enjoy while we’re relaxing around the house. It’s pleasantly sweet, but not overly so, and you can never go wrong with a little bit of fizz!
Christmas Punch Video
