With your ever-growing list of holiday parties to host and attend, it ‘s good to keep some beautiful, seasonal cocktail recipes in mind in order to wow other guests and keep the good times going! This punch is a great choice because it ‘s cranberry based (hello, winter staple), not too strong, due to the use of sparkling wine instead of something stronger, and there ‘s an easy way to spruce it up and make it unforgettable. If you ‘re catering to a younger crowd or just don ‘t feel like drinking, you can swap out the wines for ginger ale or 7-up and you ‘ve got a lovely non-alcoholic drink that will be the center piece of any serving spread!
Cranberries are really the linchpin of this drink; while the cocktail would taste just as good without the addition of fresh berries, the frozen cranberry ring (just pour them in an angel food tin and pop ‘em in the freezer!) adds stunning visual contrast and makes the punch special and unique. Plus it serves as a way to chill the drink without diluting it too much. After you serve this you ‘ll start seeing it crop up at all the following parties, so set out the ladle, get ready and happy holidays!
Holiday Cranberry Punch
Yields 3 quarts
Ingredients
- 28 oz. cranberry juice
- 2 bottles sparkling white wine or prosecco or champagne, chilled
- 1 cup late-harvest wine or sweet wine (Riesling), chilled
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 cup sugar
- hot water, optional
Directions
- Place fresh cranberries in a bundt pan and cover them with hot water. Immediately place in freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours, or until frozen.
Note: the hot water will freeze clear.
- Pour cranberry juice into a large punch bowl and stir in sugar. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour sparkling wine and sweet wine into cranberry mixture and give a gentle stir.
- Retrieve cranberry bundt from freezer and run hot water over the bottom, releasing ice from pan.
- Place cranberry ice ring in bowl to chill and decorate punch.
- Ladle punch into glasses and garnish with skewered cranberries.
Recipe adapted from Food & Wine