Easy old fashioned christmas punch bowl – cranberry punch recipe

Looking for an easy old fashioned Christmas punch? Then you are in the right place. Christmas parties, time with friends and days with family are approaching and this is the drink you can use for every event!

This Christmas cranberry punch is easily adapted to use the spirit of your choice. It can be a vodka Christmas punch, rum Christmas punch or even a gin Christmas punch. This cocktail is made from fruity cranberry juice, fiery ginger beer and sharp lime resulting in a wonderful cranberry punch.

Christmas party time is here again and I have been mixing up some beautiful drinks to make. This beautifully festive cranberry cocktail is perfect to share. I’ve added fresh cranberries with orange and lime slices to give the finished look the most Christmas-y look I could.

Of course don’t eat the fresh cranberries as they are incredibly bitter and not enjoyable to eat raw. It is purely for looks and to give a hint to the finished cocktail.

Why you’ll love this old fashioned Christmas punch recipe

• This Christmas punch recipe can be made with any alcohol you like best.
• It works with rum, vodka gin and even whisky!
• This old fashioned Christmas punch looks beautiful.
• A perfect Christmas party cocktail.
• Easy to make alcohol-free. Simply make the cocktail up without the alcohol and allow guests to add their favourites to their glasses.

FAQs

Ingredients for Christmas Cranbery Punch?

What is a traditional Christmas drink?

What makes a punch a punch?

How much alcohol is in a punch?

How do I keep my Christmas cranberry punch cold?

How long does Christmas punch last?

How do you serve punch at a party?

What can I use as a punch bowl for my Christmas punch?

A large Cranberry cocktail as a Christmas punch

It is the perfect time of the year to invite friends round for a drink and a little party in the glow of the fairy lights and by the warmth of the fire.  I give you my festive Christmas punch!

This old fashioned Christmas punch is based on a traditional mule cocktail. The variants on the mule are endless. The ginger beer fiery nature of the drink work so well with the cranberry juice. It makes it such a festive drink instantly!

This gorgeous handmade glass punch bowl set with 4 glass cups and ladle is from Houseology – my favourite place to buy kitchenware. They have a stunning range of useful and beautiful kitchen and eating gadget. I definitely recommend you take a look.

This punch bowl holds 3.1 litres so for small parties it is a perfect way to keep everyone drinking. Without someone having to be the bartender for the night. I love putting the punch bowl in the middle of the table and letting everyone help themselves. It is also a great centre piece for a dining table.

Ingredients for Christmas Cranbery Punch?

For this Christmas punch bowl recipe you will need;

• 1.5 litres of cranberry juice
• 1 litre of ginger beer to add that earthiness and fieriness
• 750 ml to 1 litre vodka to taste to add the alcohol spirit which doesn’t change the flavour of the finished cranberry Christmas punch.
• juice of two limes to add some sharpness to counteract the sweetness.

For the decorations I used for the cranberry punch are;

• 2 limes sliced
• 1 orange
• 200 g fresh cranberries
• ice cubes optional

It looks like a lot but it is quick to assemble I promise. For this recipe you can use most spirits. I’ve written vodka in the old fashioned Christmas punch recipe but you can also make this with gin, white rum or spiced rum. It’s a hugely adaptable drink which is why I love it.

I’ve even made this without the alcohol and left the different spirits to the side so people can add their favourite and make it as strong as they like. It’s a really popular way of doing it at parties. The cocktail without the spirit is also pretty delicious.

There is nothing better than getting your hands round a delicious winter warming cranberry Christmas punch!

What is a traditional Christmas drink?

There are so many drinks that I believe fall into the traditional Christmas drink menu. As well as this cranberry Christmas punch recipe, I would say that my list would have to include;

• Brandy
• Sherry
• Port
• Baileys (I had to include this otherwise my grandmother wouldn’t be happy!)

Then from the classics spirits you can expand into a range of cocktails. Including these two from my collection.

What makes a punch a punch?

The word punch originality meant the word “five.” Illustrating that the traditional punch was made of 5 ingredients. These were alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. The term punch was first recorded in British documents in 1632. At first they originally brandy based but have evolved over the years but are nearly always spirit based.

Cranberry Christmas Cocktail

A cranberry Christmas cocktail is what we all need for the festive period. Cranberry is now such a festive flavour and one that I use a lot in my baking and in my cocktails.

Decorating glasses for a Christmas party

I love putting the glasses next to them filled with a few decorative ingredients from the Christmas cranberry punch cocktail. I think they look stunning with a few cranberries and a slice of orange waiting for their cocktail! It’s also easier to add pieces into the glasses than trying to get them to balance in a fancy way on the side.

How much alcohol is in a punch?

The great thing about making punch at home is that you can control the alcohol amount. For this cocktail the alcohol makes up just less than 30% of the finished Christmas cranberry punch. That amount of alcohol could be a bit strong but the good thing about this recipe is that you can easily change the alcohol amounts to suit your tastes. Make this cranberry Christmas punch to your own tastes.

Substitutions and variations

Non-alcoholic Christmas punch with cranberry juice

An easy way to make this drink turn from alcoholic to non-alcoholic is to remove the vodka. As a still drink it tastes lovely. If you want to make it a non-alcoholic sparkly Christmas punch you can top up the rest of the ingredients with lemonade as you serve. It is delicious and great if you’re driving. It’s a nice way to keep everyone at the party enjoying a gorgeous and delicious drink.

For this cocktail I used fresh cranberries (best not to eat them as they are a bit better), slices of lime and slices of oranges to give it a festive look and also give it a wow factor on the table. It makes it a bit more interesting than just having a red drink on the table. The decorations make it more ideal.

Add ginger ale to the Christmas punch

This recipe can easily be adapted to be a Christmas punch with ginger ale. I used ginger beer as I like the sweetness over ginger ale, however ginger ale also works really well. It gives the finished cocktail a slightly different finished taste but it’s still a lovely one. If you have ginger beer and ginger ale available why not try them both and decide on your favourite.

How do I keep my Christmas cranberry punch cold?

There are some great ways to keep your Christmas cranberry punch cold without using ice which could water down the cocktail.

In the afternoon before you need the drink or even the night before cut up the fruit you will be using to decorate the bowl, for example the oranges and limes. Pop the slices in a bag, you can add the whole cranberries too, and pop them into the freezer.

When you are ready to serve the Christmas punch with cranberry juice, take the frozen slices of orange out of the freezer and add them to the Christmas punch. This way the fruit will help keep the punch colder for longer.

If you do this, you can also take the pieces out of the freezer throughout the Christmas party or event, to keep the cold pieces topped up.

Plus there is always an option to invest in fake reusable ice cubes which will keep the drink cold but not melt and water down the cranberry punch.

How long does Christmas punch last?

This fruit punch lasts about 24 hours. It is definitely best to drink it when fresh and then top back up during the party. It will make it easier to get the recipe right and give an opportunity to clean the vase or punch bowl if needed.

If you do have any leftovers at the end of a party decant what is left into a jug or bottle and store in the fridge. Drink the next day. It might last a little longer but I can say with certainty it definitely lasts 24 very well.

Best serving ideas – How do you serve punch at a party?

To serve this Christmas punch with cranberries I would recommend a large punch bowl but if you don’t have one a large jug would work perfectly well too. Serving punch is usually done with a large glass bowl and a ladle. It allows people to serve themselves and it also looks wonderful as a centrepiece.

Of course, there is always an option to serve it ready for people but I do love a punch bowl.

What can I use as a punch bowl for my Christmas punch?

Until I was given this beautiful punch bowl I used a large vase as a punch bowl. I had never used it for flowers so I know it was clean and not risking anything transferring from plants to people. You can get a large vase fairly cheaply from the shops. If you do use a vase make sure the glass is sturdy and not too thin.

There are also plastic vases and punch bowls available. If you can’t find either a large drinking jug works perfectly well too. This Christmas cranberry punch looks so beautiful I really feel it needs to be showed off. A beautiful drink and perfect for Christmases big or small.

Next drink to try – The Blueberry gin and tonic. 

Looking for more cocktails to try?
Check out my Easy Cocktail Recipe round up.

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Easy Old Fashioned Christmas Punch Bowl – Cranberry Punch Recipe

Sisley White

Looking for an easy Christmas punch? Then you are in the right place. Christmas parties, time with friends and days with family are approaching and this is the drink you can use for every event! This Christmas cranberry punch is easily adapted to use the spirit of your choice. It can be a vodka Christmas punch, rum Christmas punch or even a gin Christmas punch. This cocktail is made from fruity cranberry juice, fiery ginger beer and sharp lime resulting in a wonderful cranberry punch.

5 from 15 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American, English, International

Servings 10 people

Calories 195 kcal

Equipment

• Punch Bowl
• Measuring jug
• Chopping board
• Knife

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 1.5 litres (1.5 litres) cranberry juice
• 1 litre (1 litre) ginger beer
• 750 ml (750 ml) vodka (make it up 1 litre if you want a stronger drink – see below for other alcohol options)
• 2 (2) limes (juiced)
• 2 (2) limes (sliced)
• 2 (2) oranges
• 200 g (2 cups) fresh cranberries
• ice cubes optional

Instructions

 

• Add the cranberry juice and vodka to the punch bowl and top up with the ginger beer.
• Add the juice of two limes.
• Pop most of the cranberries in to the punch along with limes slices and oranges wedges.
  
• Use the remaining cranberries as decoration in the glasses the drink will be served in along with a thin slice of orange.
  
• Serve straight away with ice cubes into the glasses. You can put the ice into the punch but if left it will dilute the mix as it melts.
  

Notes

•You can make this old fashioned cranberry punch with any alcohol you like best. I mostly use gin or vodka but you can also use whisky or tequila.

•To make ahead pop all the toppings into the serving bowl and add the liquids when you need.

•Serving to non drinking and drinking friends by making the fruit punch base and allowing guests to add their own alcohol choice to their glass.

•Tastes great without the alcohol too.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 71IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg

Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Keyword Christmas cranberry punch, Christmas punch, Cranberry Christmas Punch, Cranberry punch, cranberry punch recipe, old fashioned christmas pudding

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