Holiday Punch Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated March 08, 2017
From festive champagne punch to a sparkling pomegranate punch, here are our fabulous holiday punch recipes that are perfect for your next party. Theses delicious libations are easy to make and are full of holiday spirit, whether you prefer something fruity and bubbly or rich and warming. Try one of these amazing punches for your next party.
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Citrus-Cinnamon Punch

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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. Fresh citrus juice brightens up this pitcher drink, and it's the perfect winter cocktail for any holiday party.

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Champagne Holiday Punch

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Erick Castro, former bar manager at San Francisco’s Rickhouse, created this sparkling punch. It’s terrifically light, but the malted grain-based genever adds whiskey-like depth.

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Sticky Toffee Pudding Eggnog

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Eben Freeman’s foamy interpretation of eggnog—infused with the sweet, caramelly flavors of sticky toffee pudding, a British favorite—is halfway between a drink and a dessert. “It’s thick enough to eat with a spoon,” he says. “So was classic eggnog.”

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Gaelic Punch

Credit: Tina Rupp
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For hot punches, young Irish whiskeys work best. Heat intensifies the tannic edge of older whiskeys; young ones stay smooth.

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Mulled Red Wine with Muscovado Sugar

Credit: Terry Monk
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Faced with two half-empty bottles of Zinfandel, Marcia Kiesel came up with this warm mulled wine, spiced with fennel seeds and cinnamon.

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Figa

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Figa was Clyde Common bar manager Charlie Hodge’s first cocktail on the drink list at Clyde Common, which opened in 2007 in Portland’s retro-minimalist Ace Hotel.

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Italian Spritz Punch

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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.

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Philly Fish House Punch

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Bartenders mix batches of cocktails like this potent Fish House Punch, transfer them into empty wine bottles, then let patrons pour drinks for themselves.

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Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

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

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Mother's Ruin Punch

Credit: Quentin Bacon
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Classicist bartenders have resurrected the centuries-old ritual of the formal punch service. Here, Philip Ward of New York’s Death & Co. makes a potent concoction named after the old British slang for gin.

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Rosé Sangria with Cranberries and Apples

Credit: Petrina Tinslay
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This strong but not overly sweet sangria is nicely spiced with cinnamon, anise and cloves and it has just enough crushed red pepper to give it a tiny kick.

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Coquito

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Demand for the Coquito, a Latin take on eggnog, was so great that Carmen now serves the drink year-round, not just during the holidays.

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Felicitation Punch

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In this pleasantly tart punch, David Wondrich mixes Irish whiskey with gin to mimic the taste of a richer, older style of gin.

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Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

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Of course Maria Helm Sinskey and her husband, Rob (co-owner of Napa’s Robert Sinskey Vineyards), serve their wine at parties. But she also offers refreshing punches like this one, made with tart-sweet pomegranate juice and finished with Prosecco.

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Hot Spiced Wine

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Red wine and kirsch (a brandy made from cherries) are the base for this delicious seasonal drink, which is laced with citrus and warming spices like cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper.

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Brandy-Wine Punch

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Pisco Sour

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The national cocktail of Chile and Peru, this drink may have evolved from the Pisco Punch, which was all the rage in San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush.

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Po Po Punch

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This citrusy, tiki-style punch is from mixologist Joaquin Simo. It features orange-spiced Ramazzotti Amaro (a bittersweet herbal Italian digestif) and homemade orange cordial.

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