An easy and refreshingly delicious Christmas party drink, this Christmas Punch is bursting with cranberry, pomegranate and orange and spiked with some rum and prosecco, but there is the option to keep it alcohol free too. It is our favourite way to get a holiday party started! A festive drink that is easy to adapt and will be a real crowd pleaser.
Not only does this Christmas Punch taste amazing, and have all the flavours of Christmas, but it is ready in just a couple of minutes too. It looks really impressive, but it's so easy to put together. A fizzy and boozy festive drink that will keep your guests happy. It's zesty, but not overly sweet and packs a nice kick. The perfect balance for a punch!
We are a big fan of anything with cranberries in at Christmas time. If you are looking for some other cranberry bursting recipes, then why not try our Cranberry Bread, Cranberry Chicken, Cranberry Orange Muffins or Cranberry Smoothie.
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Why you will love it
- Quick and easy - This takes less than 5 minutes to put together and it is as simple as just mixing all the ingredients together in a jug.
- Adaptable - This is basically a mixture of fruit juice and alcohol, so there is lots of opportunity to adapt it and we have given you lots of options below.
- Refreshing - This is a super refreshing punch. At a time of year when a lot of food can be heavy and salty, this really cuts through all that with some freshness.
- Can be made in advance - You can make this a few hours in advance and then keep it in the fridge until your guests arrive and then just stir it to freshen it up.
Ingredients needed
- Rum - We used a dark spiced rum, as it adds some extra festive flavours from the spices. But a white rum would work too.
- Prosecco or champagne - This adds the fizz, as well as adding some extra alcohol. We have found that you can get away with using a cheaper bottle, than if you were just drinking it as it is. It's mixed in with everything else, so you can't really taste it, so don't waste an expensive bottle of champagne on this.
- Cranberry and Pomegranate juice - This adds so much festive flavour. If you can find a bottle of cranberry and pomegranate together (Ocean Spray do it), then use that. If not, you could just use half cranberry juice and half pomegranate juice. Try to avoid unsweetened cranberry juice, as it will make the punch too tart.
- Orange juice - We then topped it all up with some orange juice, as it makes it nice and fruity and refreshing. If you can find clementine juice, then use that as it has more of a Christmas flavour.
- Add-ins - Clementines, pomegranate, fresh mint and cranberries are all added to make this a really pretty Christmas punch.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make the best Christmas Punch - Step by step
One: Put ice cubes into a large jug or punch bowl. Add pomegranate seeds and fresh cranberries.
Two: Add the clementine slices and mint leaves.
Three: Pour in the alcohol and fruit juices. Stir and serve.
What is Christmas Punch?
It's all in the name! It is a fruity punch, with lots of Christmas flavours and we have spiked ours with some rum and prosecco too. We think it is the must make drink of the festive season and it's perfect for putting out on Christmas Day for the adults to help themselves, so nobody is getting under your feet in the kitchen. We also make a batch on Christmas Eve.
It is a blend of fruit juices, with something fizzy and then optional alcohol. It includes garnishes of fresh cranberries, pomegranate and orange slices, to really add to the festive vibe. No extensive prep needed, just pour it all in a big jug and stir.
Variations
This is such an easy recipe to adapt, as there really are no rules. As long as it's fruity and with some fizz then pretty much anything goes. Here are our favourite ways to adapt it.
Fruit juice - Anything goes here. As long as it is fruity - put it in. We used pomegranate, orange and cranberry, however you could also use clementine, apple, mango, passion fruit, strawberry or peach.
Alcohol - We made ours a boozy Christmas Punch recipe by adding some dark spiced rum and prosecco. However, you could just as easily leave those out and keep as a non-alcoholic Christmas Punch. Why not make 2 batches, so your guests have a choice and those that don't drink don't have to miss out. Other options when it comes to a Christmas punch with alcohol are white rum, coconut rum, vodka, brandy or gin. If you are making a vodka Christmas punch, then why not use a flavoured vodka like raspberry?
Fizz - If you aren't using prosecco or champagne to add the fizz, then you could add some soda water instead. If you wanted fizz with flavour, then some ginger ale would work, but not everyone loves a strong ginger flavour. You could also use sparkling grape juice to add fizz or even some Sprite.
What to serve with Christmas Punch
This is the ultimate party drink, so it goes perfectly with party food! We love anything that you are eat with your hands, or food on a stick for party food and we have you covered! Why not try one of these party favourites:
- Antipasto Skewers
- Salmon Pate
- Easy Mushroom Tartlets
- Smoked Salmon Canapes
- How To Make a Grazing Platter
- Paprika Chicken Skewers
- Cheese Straws
- The Ultimate Prawn Cocktail
- Paneer Tikka
- Cranberry and Brie Bites
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not at all. We served ours in a jug to make it easier to pour. Using a ladle to serve it out can get a bit messy after a few glasses of this. You could also make up individual glasses or put it in a big drinks dispenser with a tap on it.
You can store any leftovers of this punch in the fridge until the next day. It will have lost its fizz though. So just bring it back to life with a splash of something fizzy and some fresh orange slices.
Yes, you can put most of it together in advance, just don't add the ice or prosecco until just before serving, otherwise the ice will melt and the prosecco will lose its fizz.
More Christmas drink recipes
If you’ve tried this Christmas Punch recipe, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Christmas Punch
Ingredients
- 200 ml rum
- 200 ml champagne
- 125 ml cranberry juice
- 125 ml pomegranate juice
- 250 ml orange juice
- 2 clementines - sliced
- 1 pomegranate - seeds only
- 50 g fresh cranberries
- 8 mint leaves
Instructions
- Put ice cubes into a large jug or punch bowl. Add pomegranate seeds and fresh cranberries.1 pomegranate, 50 g fresh cranberries
- Add the clementine slices and mint leaves.2 clementines, 8 mint leaves
- Pour in the alcohol and fruit juices. Stir and serve.200 ml rum, 200 ml champagne, 125 ml cranberry juice, 250 ml orange juice, 125 ml pomegranate juice
Notes
- If you are going to keep making this and keep replenishing it over the evening, cut up some fresh orange slices a couple of times as this will freshen everything else. The same with the mint - it will go a little floppy after a while.
- If you do accidentally buy unsweetened cranberry juice, then you can sweeten up the punch with a little honey or maple syrup.
- Make sure to use a bowl or jug big enough for all the liquid and add-ins.
- To make this the best Christmas Punch, make sure to use 100% juice, rather than a juice blend which tends to just have lots of added sugar and the punch ends up being too sweet.
- Make sure the juices and prosecco are chilled, that way you don't have to add as much ice, which will dilute the punch.
- You can also use frozen cranberries, which will also keep the drink cool and won't dilute it like ice cubes will.
Julie
Oh wow! This is an amazing Christmas punch. Will be a hit at my Christmas party.
Lucy
What a refreshing drink. So quick and easy to make and full of Christmas fruits.
Nic
Mmmmm mmmm mmm. These flavor combos are so good!
Bless my food by payal
I just pick this one from the screen. Looking so refreshing and delicious.
Heidy McCallum
Your Christmas Punch was so good!!! I loved the refreshing flavors, and we have made it a few times now for the weekends! Happy Holidays!
Nicole
I love cranberry and pomegranate together, so I knew I'd love this punch! Give it a try! Thanks for the recipe
Gina
I was looking for a new holiday punch! So happy I found this. Tasty, refreshing, and festive. I know this will be a hit at my holiday get-together!
maryanne
All the flavors of the holidays in one drink - I love it!