Punch Recipes for a Baby Shower

At the Belle Epoque-style Absinthe Brasserie, general manager and cocktail book author Jeff Hollinger serves up modern adaptations of 19th-century classic drinks. His Strawberry & Ginger Cooler is one of the few nonalcoholic refreshers on the menu.

Johanna Corman makes this refreshing lavender-and-grapefruit spritzer in large batches for easy summer entertaining. To turn it into a cocktail, swap gin or vodka for some of the sparkling water.

This bubbly, sweet-tart cocktail combines sparkling wine, dessert wine and deep-red pomegranate juice.

Vinho Verde is a white or red wine from the northwestern part of Portugal. The name means “green wine,” which refers to its youthfulness.

"A lot of restaurants treat virgin cocktails like vegetarian dishes: They just make a drink from the regular menu and leave out the alcohol," says Boka Kitchen & Bar executive chef Seis Kamimura. "I love the challenge of creating original nonalcoholic drinks that are special in their own right."

Swizzles are drinks that are typically served over crushed ice and churned with a swizzle stick until supercold. Small ice cubes are a fine substitute for crushed ice.

Master bartender Wayne Collins prefers using premium, naturally sweetened tonic water (sometimes called Indian tonic water) in this punch. Q Tonic, made with agave nectar, and Fever-Tree, sweetened with cane sugar, are both excellent brands. (They're available at amazon.com.)

Agostino Perrone, head mixologist at London's luxurious Connaught Bar, created this simple sparkling punch. "It would be a great aperitif for a large dinner party," says Wayne Collins; he recommends serving it in teacups.

This drink was originally part of a "Think Pink" menu that raised money for a local breast cancer charity.

Bar manager Jackson Cannon wanted to serve a mocktail that was neither soda-driven nor a supersweet "juice bomb." The result: this savory take on a cosmopolitan.

This drink was mixologist Gregory Best's response to a woman dressed in lavender who tottered into Restaurant Eugene with friends for a nightcap. "My darling," she said, "one more will put me directly over the edge. Fruit juice, please."

A super-thin slice of cucumber pressed against the glass adds an artistic twist to this refreshing cocktail.

Duncan Nicol, owner of San Francisco's legendary Bank Exchange bar, invented the Pisco Punch in the late 1800s. One of the drink's key ingredients, pineapple gum syrup, went out of production long ago and became available again only recently.

Cinnamon flavors lots of holiday drinks, from eggnog to mulled wine. Here it appears in a juicy punch that's delicious spiked with Grand Marnier or Cognac.

This terrific brunch mocktail combines multiple forms of citrus fruit: orange, lemon and mandarin orange juices, plus orange syrup and orange peel.