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Fun and Delicious Punch Recipes

Cranberry Punch

1½ cups sugar
3 cups boiling water
2 cups cranberry sauce
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 pint raspberry ice
1 quart carbonated water
½ cup maraschino cherries

Dissolve sugar in hot water, add sauce and stir until smooth; add lemon juice and strain through fine sieve or cheesecloth; chill. When ready to serve, pour over block of ice in punch bowl; add raspberry ice, carbonated water, and cherries; chopped fine. 24 servings.

Tea Punch

Combine 4 cups strong, freshly brewed tea (made by using 2 teaspoons of tea to 1 cup of boiling water) with 4 cups white grape juice and 8 tablespoons of lemon juice. Garnish with orange slices, strawberries, pineapple sticks, or other fresh fruit. Pour over a lump of ice in a large punch bowl. This makes a 2-quart punch, about 16 servings. Consider using themed table coasters along with decorative drink glasses.

Christmas Wassail

2 quarts of sweet cider
Juice of 4 lemons and 4 oranges
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon cloves
4 sticks cinnamon

Begin by heating the spices and cider together. Add other juices. Place 4 baked and quartered apples in bottom of wassail bowl. Pour over cider and juice mixture. Serve hot. Makes approximately 16 servings.

Old-fashioned Wassail

4 apples
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
6 cups apple cider
1 teaspoon allspice

Core apples, sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar, add water, and bake in moderately hot oven (375°) for 30 minutes or until tender, basting several times with syrup in the pan. Combine cider, remaining sugar, and allspice and place over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil. Pour over roasted apples in the punch bowl. Approximate yield: 6 portions. A good idea for this delicious cider is to serve it with decorative, fall-themed paper coasters, or a coaster set with apples, pumpkins, or a fall harvest printed on the coasters.

Easy Fruit Punch

Mix 2 quarts of strong tea with 1½ quarts of grape juice, 2 cups lemon juice, 4 cups orange juice, 2 quarts water, and 1 cup of sugar. Chill. When ready to serve add 1 quart of ginger ale and pour over ice in a punch bowl. Float slices of lemon and orange, whole strawberries, and maraschino cherries in the bowl, if desired. 64 servings.

Prohibition Punch

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup orange pekoe tea
6 oranges
5 lemons
2 cups crushed pineapple and syrup
4 cups ginger ale

Boil sugar and water together for 10 minutes before adding the cup of tea, juice of lemons and oranges and crushed pineapple and syrup. Strain. Add 1 cup of ice and the ginger ale and chill thoroughly. More water may be added if you wish. Also, to “party-up” the punch, a cup of halved maraschino cherries or whole strawberries may be floated in the bowl. 12 servings.

Hollywood Parade

1 quart orange juice
1 quart orange sherbet
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 quart ginger ale

Beat first three ingredients with beater until well mixed. Add chilled ginger ale. Stir and serve at once. 25 servings. A fun party suggestion would be to get Hollywood themed custom coasters printed with your favorite celebrities or fancy drink glasses!

Fruit Punch with Lemon Ice

1½ quarts water
1½ cups sugar
1 cup lemon juice
1 quart strong tea
2 cups orange juice
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 quarts ginger ale
1 quart lemon ice

Mix juices, sugar, tea and water and chill 12 hours or overnight. Add ginger ale just before serving over lemon ice. Float slices of lemon in the drink for decorative purposes. 60 servings.

Lime-Tea Punch

Steep 4 teaspoons of tea in 1 cup boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain. Add 1 cup of light corn syrup and mix well. Add 4 cups of ice water and 1 cup of chilled lime juice. Just before serving, add 1 quart of ginger ale and pour over ice in a punch bowl. Garnish with lime slices. 20 servings.

bowl. Approximate yield: 6 portions. A good idea for this delicious cider is to serve it with decorative, fall-themed paper coasters, or a coaster set with apples, pumpkins, or a fall harvest printed on the coasters.