Summer parties are things of beauty. Trying to keep up with the cocktail requests can quickly turn into a full-time job leaving you with no time to actually enjoy the party you’re throwing!
Enter the punch bowl.
A Quick History of Punch
The word punch is loan word from Hindi with the original drink, served in a large bowl with a ladle, named paantsch which means “five” as the drink was made from five ingredients: a spirit, sugar, lemon, water, and spices. It was brought back to England by sailors and employees of the British East India Company around the beginning of the 17th century and from there it spread across Europe and eventually into the Americas.
And now you have an interesting fact to share at your next punch party! But, fun facts do not a party make, so we’ve put together some delicious punch bowl recipes sure to quench any group!
Indian Summer Cup
Ingredients
- One 1 L. gin
- One 1 L. sweet Italian vermouth
- 8 oz. St-Germain elderflower liqueur
- 8 oz. peach liqueur
- 24 oz. lemon syrup
- 16 oz. unfiltered apple juice
- 32 oz. tonic water
- 16 oz. sparkling water
- 1 sliced green apple, 2 sliced peaches, 6 long, thin cucumber slices and 1/4 cup torn mint leaves (optional), for garnish
Directions
- In a punch bowl, combine the gin, vermouth, elderflower and peach liqueurs, Lemon Syrup and apple juice.
- Refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours.
- Stir in the tonic water and sparkling water.
- Add ice and garnish with the apple, peaches, cucumber and mint leaves.
Rum Punch
Ingredients
- 8 oz. light rum
- 8 oz. aged rum
- 8 oz. fresh orange juice
- 8 oz. mango nectar or juice
- 4 oz. pineapple juice
- 8 pineapple wedges
- 80 mint leaves, torn or thinly sliced
Directions
- In a pitcher, combine all of the ingredients except the ice and pineapple wedges and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
- Stir well and serve over ice in red wine glasses.
- Garnish each drink with a pineapple wedge.
Pirate Punch
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Bacardi 8 Dark Rum
- 4 oz. Bacardi White Rum
- 2 oz. Amaretto
- 8 oz. cranberry juice chilled
- 8 oz. orange juice chilled
- 8 oz. pineapple juice chilled
- Fruit for garnish optional
Directions
- In a large pitcher, combine juices, rum, and Disaronno. Top with ice or serve with glasses filled with ice.
- Garnish individual glasses with fruit such as pineapple wedges, orange slices, or maraschino cherries if desired.
Pink Lemonade Vodka Slush
Ingredients
- 16 oz. vodka
- 12 oz. can frozen pink lemonade concentrate thawed
- 2 L. bottle lemon-lime soda
- Additional soda or sparkling water for serving
Directions
- In an empty one-gallon ice cream pail, combine lemonade concentrate, vodka, and 2-liter bottle of soda. Chill at least 8 hours, overnight, or up to a month in advance.
- Remove from freezer 1-2 hours before serving. As the slush melts, it will become easier to scrape and serve.
- To serve, add 1 cup slush to a glass. Top with additional soda or sparkling water as desired.
Piña a la Pancha Sangria
Ingredients
- 11 L. white wine
- 2.5 L. whiskey
- 5 cups mezcal
- 2 L. Velvet Falernum
- 5 pineapple juice (canned)
- 2.5 cups lemon juice
- 2 cups simple syrup
- 6 whole pineapples
Directions
- Cut 6 pineapples in to thin rings. Sear the rings on the plancha or griddle until mostly charred. Do not use oil or sugar when searing.
- Combine all liquid ingredients.
- Place charred rings of pineapple in the sangria batch and infuse overnight (or a minimum of 12 hours).
- Strain off sangria and set aside the soaked pineapple rings for serving.
Brunch Punch
Ingredients
- 2 cups vodka
- 1 bottle prosecco
- 2 L. lemon-lime soda
- 2 cups orange juice
- 2 cups pineapple Juice
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
- 2 cups raspberries
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
- Sanding sugars, for rims
Directions
- Add ice, Sprite, orange juice, pineapple juice, vodka, Prosecco, strawberries, raspberries and mint leaves and stir to combine.
- In a small dish of sanding sugar, rim glasses with fresh strawberry and coat rims with sugar.
- Ladle punch into glasses and garnish with more mint.
Ginger Zest Polish Mule Punch
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Ginger Zest vodka
- 3 oz. lime juice
- 1½ oz. simple syrup
- 30 oz. ginger beer
- 18-24 dashes of angostura bitters
Directions
Combine ingredients in a large punch bowl and garnish with lime wedges.
