Drinks for one, and you have a nice evening to yourself. Drinks for two or three, and it’s happy hour. A WHOLE BOWL of sparkling Christmas Punch? We have ourselves a party!
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Bubbly, festive, and a total snap to stir together, this easy Christmas punch is light, refreshing, and not at all overly sweet.
It takes less than fives minutes prep time and would be a lovely, useful centerpiece at any holiday party because:
- It’s simple but beautiful, with the right amount of holiday sparkle.
- Guests will love it (and love you for making it!).
- Crowd control. Think of holiday punch as your party’s water cooler. Guests will flock wherever it’s placed.
5 Star Review
“This Xmas punch is the bomb! So festive with the fresh orange slices and fresh cranberries floating and super easy to make!
This will be an annual addition to my holiday repertoire.”
— Maria Anastasiou —
I usually shy away from big batch punch recipes because they tend to be overly sweet.
Not this Christmas punch!
If you’re planning a holiday gathering and want to know what to drink, Christmas punch is the answer .
Together, this combination of the light and bright with the deep and spicy makes this Christmas punch dangerous (almost as dangerous as festive Rum Punch).
It’s soooo yummy and easy to sip.
Because it takes minutes to make, you can quickly (perhaps too quickly) continue refilling the bowl as the night goes on.
Tip!
No punch bowl?
- Mix this recipe up in a big pitcher, or divide it between two smaller pitchers.
- Try placing it in a large drink dispenser (don’t forget a cup or towel to catch any drips).
The Best Christmas Punch Recipe
Cranberry juice, sparkling wine, and orange slices keep the punch’s flavor light, bright, and dangerously easy to drink.
Be warned: this is one crushable holiday cocktail! (You can choose whether or not to mention this tidbit to guests.)
The Ingredients
- Cranberry Juice. Make sure you use a juice that is labeled 100% cranberry juice, versus cranberry juice cocktail. The juice should be marked 100% cranberry but still has a blend of other juices for some natural sweetness (confusing I know!). This is the one I used.
TIP!
- Do not use completely unsweetened, 100% pure cranberry juice or your punch will be too tart.
- If you purchase the wrong kind by mistake or your punch tastes tarter than you would like for any reason, all is not lost! Sweeten the punch to your liking by stirring in 1/4 to 1/2 cup simple syrup.
- Sparkling Wine. Use a very dry sparkling wine. It doesn’t matter what the wine’s country of origin is, as long as it is labeled “brut,” which is the driest, dryer even than wine labeled “extra dry” (Tip: think “brutally dry”). Champagne, cava, and Prosecco are all fair game.
- Apple Cider + Ginger Ale. Adds balance and dynamic flavor.
- Dark Rum or Brandy. Rich, spicy, and fun. I preferred this as a Christmas rum punch, but if you’d like something a little sweeter, brandy is a good option.
- Oranges. For a hint of citrus and beautiful color.
- Cranberries. Fresh cranberries are important here. I love the look of fresh cranberries floating on top too. Cranberries and oranges are the perfect holiday garnishes.
- And, lots of ice!
Tip!
For a festive ice ring, scatter cranberries and orange slices (or a mix of sliced oranges, lemons, and limes) in the bottom of a bundt pan and cover with water (use filtered or boiled water for the clearest ice). Transfer to freezer and freeze for at least 8 hours overnight. Unmold the ice ring (you can run the pan under hot water to loosen it if needed) and transfer it to a punch bowl.
The Directions
- Chill all the ingredients to make sure your punch is nice and chilly.
- Fill a large punch bowl (or pitcher) with ice, and top with all the ingredients except the oranges and cranberries. Give it a quick stir. Last, top with the oranges and cranberries to beautify it. ENJOY!
5 Star Review
“It was incredible. We made it for our Christmas party and every single person loved it. I thought that it would be a little overpowering given the amount of alcohol, but it was not. Great combination and not too sweet.”
— Courtney —
Recipe Adaptations
- Non-Alcoholic Christmas Punch. Omit the alcohol from this recipe, and use sparkling white grape juice or lemon-lime soda instead of wine. Prepare as directed.
- Christmas Punch in Sherbet. Top each glass of this Raspberry Champagne Float with Christmas punch instead of champagne.
- Christmas Punch with Raspberry Vodka. Swap in an equal amount of raspberry vodka such as Tito’s for the rum or brandy in this recipe.
- Pomegranate Christmas Punch. Use pomegranate juice instead of cranberry juice, and swap in pomegranate seeds for the cranberries.
- Cranberry Orange Christmas Punch. Substitute 3/4 cup of the cranberry juice for orange juice.
- Tropical Christmas Punch. Add 1/2 cup pineapple juice, plus additional to taste.
More Christmas Drinks
Christmas drinks are delicious, festive, and perfect for serving at parties.
This punch is one of my favorites. It could also be used for Christmas morning punch.
I also love serving these other easy Christmas drinks:
- Mulled Wine
- Champagne Punch
- Apple Cider Mimosa
- Cranberry St. Germain Cocktail
- Hot Buttered Bourbon
- Crockpot Hot Chocolate
What to Serve with Christmas Punch
This traditional Christmas punch goes perfectly with every holiday recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- Appetizers. Pesto Pinwheels, Cheese Fondue, or Crab Artichoke Toasts are much loved holiday apps.
- Desserts. Perfect Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Ginger Cookies, and Brown Butter Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies would all be delicious alongside a glass of Christmas punch.
Recommended Tools to Make Christmas Punch
- Punch Bowl. I also love this punch bowl set from Crate & Barrel.
- Large Measuring Cup. I use this simple one.
- Ladle. A glass ladle to go along with your punch bowl.
If you are looking for drinks for your next party—or for a good excuse to throw a party, period—I hope you’ll give this easy Christmas punch recipe a try.
It combines a retro holiday feel with a fresh modern taste, and I know your guests will love it as much as we do!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking for alcoholic traditional Christmas drinks, I think this Christmas punch is one of the best holiday drinks out there. Everyone loves it, and it even looks the part.
If you need to make Christmas drinks for kids, this recipe makes for excellent non-alcoholic holiday drinks as well. See non-alcoholic punch adaptation above. Of course, hot chocolate is also a traditional Christmas drink for kids (and grownups!); see How to Make Hot Chocolate.
Punch can be served on ice to keep it cold during your party. If you do not want your punch to become diluted; however, you could mix up the punch without the ice and then when serving pour it into individual glasses over ice.
Christmas Punch
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Ingredients
- 1 large bag of ice
- 5 cups 100% cranberry juice* 40 ounces, NOT cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 bottles very dry sparkling wine (750 ml bottles) , such as champagne, cava, or Prosecco (I used a brut Prosecco)
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 ½ cups diet ginger ale (12 ounces) (from 1 can or poured from a liter bottle)
- 1 ½ cups dark rum or brandy (12 ounces)
- 2 oranges thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Make sure all of the ingredients are well chilled.
- Fill a large punch bowl with ice.
- Top with the cranberry juice, sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale, and rum.
- Stir gently to combine.
- Top with the orange slices and fresh cranberries. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- *IMPORTANT NOTE ON CRANBERRY JUICE: Look for a juice that is marked 100% cranberry but that has a blend of other juices, usually apple, added (it is confusing! This is the one I used). If you purchase 100% pure cranberry juice without any other fruits used, it may be too tart for your taste. If this happens, you can sweetened the punch to your liking by stirring in 1/4 to 1/2 cup simple syrup.
- Nutritional information assumes no ice melt. Since realistically, some ice will melt into the glasses, the numbers are a bit high for 6 ounces. Feel free to use myfitnesspal.com or another service if you need a more precise estimate.
Nutrition
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Hi! What size dispenser would you recommend using?
Thanks!
Hi Melissa, I use a 3 gallon punch bowl. You can also use a 2.5 gallon dispenser. Enjoy!
Has anyone ever used pomegranate juice in place of cranberry? Thanks!
Sounds tasty! Let us know if you decide to experiment, Carolann!
Love it. I also freeze plastic cocktail cups with cranberry juice or any juice. Floating orange slices and cranberries. To use instead of just ice. It keeps large batches cold without watering down!
Love it! Thanks for the tip, Amy!
Thank you Erin. This recipe was a big hit for a holiday event for 60+ people. I quadrupled the recipe, substituted raspberry vodka for the dark rum, and used Vernor’s zero sugar ginger ale, which IMO, is the best ginger ale in the world. This drink is pleasantly fruity but not sweet. I mixed the vodka, cranberry juice and apple cider well before the event and refrigerated the mix, and added the ginger ale and brut Prosecco moments before serving. I froze 100% Cranberry Juice in a Bundt cake pan and used a large drink dispenser with a spigot and a cone in the middle filled with rosemary sprigs, ice, and water (isolated from the drink mix). The cranberry “Bundt ring” floated in the dispenser with the orange slices and cranberries. I did not add ice to the drink and it stayed cold all evening. It undoubtedly had a more tart flavor by not adding ice. As the recipe states, keeping the ingredients chilled before mixing is essential. This is the best large batch cocktail mix I have ever made or tasted. Sure to be a hit at any event.
So glad to hear! Thank you Steve!
Has anyone used alcoholic cider?
Hi R Hood, while I haven’t tried it using an alcoholic apple cider, you could definitely use it and experiment. It will make it more potent though. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Thanks very much I love to bake and learn new things
Hope you enjoy it!
Mande this for a Friend’s Christmas dinner and it was a hit!
Yay! Great to hear, Ruth!
This looks delicious! I have some leftover dark spiced rum, do you think that would work?
Hi Jana! Others have tried it with spiced rum, which great success. Hope you enjoy it!
We absolutely loved it!
My sister throws a big Christmas Eve party every year. Last time I made this punch for the first time and everyone loved it! It was really a hit. Sis called me yesterday to ask if I’d make it again this year and of course I told her yes! I want to know, would 2 cups of brandy be too much for this recipe instead of 1 and a half cups?
So glad to hear, Angie! It’s definitely going to add some sweetness to the punch, and be more potent, so precede with caution! Enjoy!
Hello. I have a dry Rose would that work? Also, I cannot find diet ginger ale locally. Is regular okay> Thank you.
Hi! Yes to regular ginger ale. As far as the dry rose, as long as its sparkling, that’s great! Happy Holidays!
Hi Erin, is sweet apple cider fine to use? That’s the only kind sold around me
Certainly Sheena! Enjoy!
Have you tried adding sherbet ice cream?
Hi Marissa! I have not but I know that is classic (my Grandma used to for n/a punch). It will definitely make it sweet, so depends on your preferences!
Hi Erin,
Hoping you read this now. Followed all ingredients, uses dry Prosecco, and aged Rum, with all other ingredients. The punch tastes a little tart. I did use organic cranberry pure juice. I have not added oranges or cranberries because party is in hour. We’re thinking of adding organic stevia to sweeten if oranges don’t help.
Hi Richard, it sounds like it could probably be the time of juice used. Hope the stevia helped!
Dark rum is not the spirit for this drink IMO. It’s overpowering and clashes with the other flavors. I would try this again with brandy, perhaps apple brandy. I didn’t mind the booziness, and the effervescence is really good. I’m guessing a vodka would work too. Why have dark rum do battle with the cranberry, ginger, and cider? Dark rum is already a medley of flavors onto itself. If you decide to use rum, cut some limes and serve each cup with a wedge. That helped.
Thanks for the feedback, Ed. It’s the one we prefer and enjoy but you can definitely use something else.
Can I omit the apple cider if I can’t find any? or any substitutions I could do? Thank you
Hi Katlyn, the apple cider is pretty essential to the punch. You could try plain apple juice, but it won’t have the same warm flavors. I’d recommend sticking with cider for this one! Although if you do decide to leave it out, I would love to know how it goes!
Would this fit in a 2 gallon dispenser if I don’t add ice to it? My plan is to just have guests add their own ice so it doesn’t get diluted!
Hi Katlyn, yes this should fit into a 2 gallon dispenser! Enjoy!
So sorry to leave a bad review here, but don’t want anyone else to waste £40 on ingredients. I made this in in the UK and I assume ingredients might taste different. Followed the measurements exactly but the punch tasted of nothing but apple cider vinegar. Made this for a group gathering back in December and not one of the 8 attendees wanted more than a sip. Big party fail I’m sorry to say.
Hi Jane, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble. There is no vinegar in this recipe. In the US we have a product that called apple cider which is a raw, unfiltered, unsweetened beverage made from the juice of pressed apples that contains no alcohol. For our recipes, when we use apple cider vinegar, we will always specifically say that in the ingredient list. Hope this helps for next time!
It was a big hit! Everyone loved it. I have a bottle that I can use to keep the leftover, it has a good seal. How long can this last in the fridge if properly stored? Thank you.
Great to ear, Lyssa! Your bubbly liquids are going to go flat but it should still be drinkable for a day or two.