Punch RecipesIt's a good idea to have a few good punch recipes up your sleeve for your next cocktail party. A drink list makes things easy on everyone including yourself by keeping the options to a few simple selections. Your guests will appreciate having a concise selection from which to choose from.
Being put on the spot for a drink order can be high pressure for a lot of people. Imagine the thought process: "Should I have wine or a cocktail. O.k. a cocktail, but what kind?" Make it easy by reducing the choices. I recommend making a punch or two. This page lists some punch recipes below. A punch is basically a cocktail that you make in a large batch. Either in a pitcher or a large bowl with a ladel, so people can help themselves to it. This is a great set up, because you can mingle rather than make cocktails from scratch all night. Punches are casual and you can serve them in any glassware you have around the house. The idea is to reduce the decision making process so that everyone can focus on having fun. Use this chart as rough guide line to convert a single drink recipe to punch recipe proportions. Single drink recipe Punch recipe
1/4oz...................................1/2cup This conversion is just a guideline. As with cooking, adjust the proportions to suit your own tastes. I recommend keeping the alcohol proportion to a third (more or less) of the total volume of the pitcher volume. I speak from experience, that when there is a hosted (free) or self serve bar, the tendancy is to over indulge. Here are a few punch recipes for you to consider:
Hipnotic Serves about 12
1 750-ml bottle Hpnotiq liqueur, frozen Combine Hpnotiq and vodka in a large pitcher and leave in freezer until just before guests arrive. Serve in short glasses garnished with lemon wheels without ice, or in larger, ice-filled glasses topped with club soda. Hpnotiq is a French liqueur made from Cognac, vodka, and tropical fruit juices.
Red Passion Punch recipe Serves about 18
4 Lemons Slice the lemons into wheels and lay them flat in a container, placing wax paper in between the layers so they don't stick to each other. Freeze the lemon wheels. Pour the Alize, Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice into a large punch bowl and stir. Top with the Champagne, gently stir, then add the frozen lemon wheels to keep the punch chilled. The above two punch recipes are borrowed from the book Flirtini by Allana Baroni. It's a fun read if you are looking for some inspiration for your next party. Brandy Punch
2 cups brandy Pour ingredients into the punch bowl and mix. Add the ginger ale in last to keep the fizz fresh. Also add the ice just before the guests arrive so that the punch doesn't get watered down. Cosmopolitan Punch Recipe This is an enormously popular cocktail, so it is almost guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser at your party.
3 cups vodka, I prefer an orange/cirtus vodka such as Absolut Mandarin Mix and chill your punch in the refridgerator several hours before you will need it. When you're ready, just ladle in to your glassware and garnish with a lime. Lemondrop Punch Recipe
4 cups vodka, Try it with lemon flavored vodka Mix and chill your punch in the refridgerator several hours before you will need it. When you're ready, just ladle in to your glassware and garnish with a lemon. Party Punch
2 1/2 cups vodka Mix ingredients in a bowl and keep chilled in the fridge. Add ice just before serving. Sangria The Spanish summer cooler. A delicious concoction of wine and fruit. Serves about 12
2 750-ml bottles of dry Spanish red wine Mix all liquid ingredients together in a large bowl. Allow for a little time (as short as an hour or less) for the fresh fruit to marinate with the wine mixture. When ready to serve top off with club soda. Serve over ice in a wine glass. Garnish with the fresh fruit.
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