Several folks have asked for the punch recipe I mentioned in our last Party Planning post. I’m happy to share it.
You’ll find a printable version of this recipe at the bottom of this post.
The Recipe:
Champagne Holiday Punch
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works great)
Small amount of Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur you prefer)
Red sugar
Green sugar
In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard cinnamon and cloves.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
Add cranberry juice and pineapple juice.
Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.
If having a party, I recommend at least doubling, tripling or quadrupling this recipe, because it’s a huge hit and folks keeping coming back for more. When I had around 25 guests for a neighborhood cookie party, we went through four batches, with none left over!
When serving, put the red sugar, green sugar and Grand Marnier in a three-part dish or in three separate bowls. I use this divided dish and it works out really well. Dip the rim of the champagne glass into the Grand Marnier (or whatever orange liqueur you’re using) then into one of the sugars. Then pour or ladle the punch into the glass.
You can serve it from a punch bowl and ladle it into the glass, but since the opening of a champagne glass is so small, this can be pretty messy with the punch ending up running down the sides of the glass. I found it much easier to just pour it from a pitcher.
Or, if you have a beverage server similar to the one below, that will work well, too.
Your guests will love the look of the sugar-rimmed glasses.
For large parties, I love to use little charms around the stem of the glass. I have a limited number of champagne glasses so it helps my guests keep up with their glass.
For a New Year’s Eve party or a birthday party, I like to dip the rims of the glasses in nonpareils, instead of the colored sugars.
I’ve placed the glass in front of the paper towels so you see it a bit better.
Doesn’t this just say, Party!
Enjoy!
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Champagne Punch for Christmas or New Year's
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 cups cranberry juice cocktail
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1 bottle champagne Korbel Brut works great
- Small amount of Grand Marnier or any orange liqueur you prefer
- Red sugar
- Green sugar
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Discard cinnamon and cloves.
- Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
- Add cranberry juice cocktail and pineapple juice.
- Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.
Notes
these glasses say party! I will try them at my next family eating! we just celebrated 3 out of 4 kids birthdays wish I had seen it for them! they were big kids, 30,21,and 18…
thanks, love your blog
What a pretty & yummy idea!
thanks : )
What a lovely cocktail! I love the sprinkles around the rim!
It does say FUN! I love the rimmed glasses and the charms too. I want to make this! It looks yummy!
Thanks for posting! Looks so good and the sugar accents make it so festive!
I am definitely keeping this recipe for my holiday dinner and party. I just love how you changed the sugar to a different item. Oh so many ways you could go with that idea.
Thanks for sharing.
Crystal
Susan,
These look so festive dipped in the nonpareils and colored sugars. Recipe sounds yummy too!
Nancy
How cute is that? Love the sprinkles on the rim. What a very festive idea!
Hi Susan,
this is really a great fun. Splendid idea to make the sugar rim with colored sugar or nonpareilles. The recipe sounds interesting and I imagine that it smells like punch. Thank you for sharing your great ideas.
Greetings, Johanna
Love this! Will be adding this to my list of must have party drinks!
Kristen
I love this idea! I hope you don't mind if I recreate it for parties at my cottage!!
Love,
Susan and Bentley
xxoo
Susan, I love the nonpareils idea, so festive. This is one thing I will definitely copy.
How fun! Great recipe:)
Hi Susan! Been a little while since I have been on here. Your party ideas are so great and look like alot of fun. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I can't wait to try it.
Cheryl@My Own Snug Fireside
These look yummy. Might even host a cookie party so I can make this punch. Thanks for sharing the recipe!~Ames
Saved!!! Thanks Susan…I was about to give away three boxes of these champaigne flutes….not anymore. Just hadn't used them in a while. This is so simple that the cut crystal flutes just wouldn't work as well. Wondering if you could use a bottle of Asti instead of champaigne.
Looking forward to more of your holiday tips and tricks.
Thanks, Gwen
Yummy! I can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you soooooo much! We are having a Holiday Extravaganza at the salon and I plan to use this idea!! You are amazing!!
The glasses look gorgeous. I image this could be done with my Sleigh Ride punch – a combination of juices, tea, spices and Rum. I make it on Christmas Eve morning, letting it brew all day in a crock pot in anticipation for our annual open house in the evening. I keep adding rum, taste testing throughout the day, By party time I'm extraordinarily festive. I think I will decorate my glasses with colored sugars from now on!
I don’t suppose you’d share the specifics of your recipe? I’m doing this one for Thanksgiving, but I’d like to try your recipe for our Christmas party! 🙂
This looks beautifully refreshing and perfect for the holidays! Love the nonpariel idea.
Hi Susan,
So festive…I love it.
Evelyn
Thank you, thank you! I will make this for our Oopen House! I also love the non pariel idea too! So festive and fun!!!!
Love these ideas!
I really love the unusual pinks you shared with me today. Yummy. Happy Pink Saturday.
I do martini's alot and do the rimmers but this is different and one that I will for sure use, thank you for so much holdiay creativity!
I am so inspired! Those photos look heavenly!
Made this Friday night for our annual neighborhood Holiday Party.
It got RAVE reviews and a request to make it again for Saturday's Cookie Swap. Thanks a million for an EASY, WONDERFUL treat!!
I love your blog! When I was scrolling down to find your Twitter widget/link I saw these drinks and fell in love – what a great treat for the holidays.
I made your champagne punch and served it before a luncheon I hosted yesterday! It was a true hit, and oh so very delicious! The addition of using the red and green sugars to rim the champagne glasses is a very nice detail! Thank you for sharing this with us! Loved it! It's a recipe that goes straight to my favorites file!
It sounds yummmy..I must give it a try…Happy New Year…come over for a visit..I have my table all ready…phyllis
Hi Susan, as I mentioned in yesterday's email, I'm having a cocktail party this evening (pre-New Years party with neighbors) but forgot about this wonderful recipe from last year until I saw your post! Now I "need" to make this as one of the drinks for tonight! I think I'll do the colored sprinkles, because it just say's "Happy New Year" to me!
Thanks again for all your great ideas and inspiration!
Terry
I just got one of those drink dispensers, and this is going to be the first thing I fill it with!
It’s really yummy, Carol! Make several batches because the recipe makes really small batches and you’ll need several if you’re having a good crowd and to fill up your pretty dispenser. 🙂
Can’t wait to make this – even if it’s just for the two of us! Have you ever used fluted champagne glasses? We have a collection of the Waterford fluted champagnes but someone else mentioned they didn’t work as well. Re: your large white turkey centerpiece – nothing currently on Pottery Barn, e-bay, or Google. Any other ideas? Thanks!
I doubt you’ll find one this year, it’s just too close now to Thanksgiving. Be sure to check after Thanksgiving though…ya never know. Maybe PB will get them next year, or maybe Williams Sonoma…that’s another place to look each year.
I love the idea of the glasses dipped in the colored sugars and nonpariels… Is there another beverage to use to make it non alcoholic?
Someone on Facebook mentioned non-alcoholic Champagne…didn’t know there was such a thing. You definitely want to use something with carbonation…it needs that. Google substitutes for Champagne and I bet there will be some suggestions online. Let me know if you find anything Peg, would be good to add that to recipe if you find out there is such a thing as non-alchoholic Champagne.
I was hoping to find a non alcoholic substitute too. Did you find anything?
Sounds wonderful and will be trying it out in December for sure!! I have some green champagne flutes from the Dollar Tree so will rim with red sugar! Thanks so much for sharing it!
this is a lovely recipe and very well decorated
I will be over to sip some of this delicious Champagne Punch and take a nap on your porch after we finish our punch. Yummy! Since it is rude of me to invite myself over I will extend Mimosas in the Summer time for 4th of July Breakfast. Thank you for sharing!!!
Karen, it’s a deal! Punch on the porch and Mimosas for the 4th! 🙂
I know this might sounds odd but what are the cloves? I’ve never seen cloves in any other recipe before so I honestly don’t know what I’m looking for.
They are a wonderful smelling spice. You can find them in the spice section of the grocery store in little bottles. Sometimes folks press them into oranges to use them in decorating for Christmas. Here’s a picture from this post (https://betweennapsontheporch.net/decorating-for-a-traditional-christmas-welcome-to-the-49th-metamorphosis-monday/) where I did that.
I love how the punch looks in the champagne glasses. The red and green sugar makes the glasses pop and gives them a festive look. I’m including your recipe in my Holiday Round post. My readers will love this idea. Thanks for sharing.
Would Sprite or sparkling white grape juice work as a substitute for the champagne?
I’m not sure. I think white grape juice would change the flavor and wouldn’t add that fizz to it that champagne does. I think Sprite would probably overpower the flavor from the spices too. You may want to Google for non-alcoholic champagne alternatives and see what’s out there that has the bite/fizz that champagne has but won’t change the flavor. Here’s a post with some other party drinks you may want to consider. Some of the drinks in that post are non-alcoholic if that’s what you’re looking for: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/21-amazing-and-delicious-party-drinks-for-the-holiday-season/
I might have just missed it in the dorections, but when and you add the orange liquour? Does it just go in with the champagne? Thanks!
You don’t add it to the mixture…you just use it to dip the rims of the glasses in…so the sugar will stick to the rims.
I made this last year and it will be back on again for festivities next week. Loved how this came out.
This recipe calls for cloves what kind garlic?
Just regular ol cloves. I’ve never heard of garlic cloves. I just buy them in the spice section of the grocery store…McCormick is fine.
I just made this for a “Girls Christmas Party” and everyone ADORED it! I easily made my own colored sugar with just a few drops of food coloring. (Keep mixing until all of the sugar is coated, lump free, and you get the color you want. Then allow the sugar to dry). I use lime juice to wet the rims but I love the Grand Marnier idea will DEFINITELY do that the next time! I placed one stem of rosemary in each flute, prior to serving – and it was not only festive and delish – but soooooo pretty!
Ohh, I love that rosemary idea…so copying that next time I make it! Great idea, Elizabeth! I love this champagne punch recipe so much, glad your guest loved it, too! 🙂
These look beautiful! When you are doubling and tripling the recipe- do you also double and triple the amount of cinnamon sticks and cloves, or would the same amount be ok? And have you ever decorated the glasses hours ahead of time? Does the sugar stay on okay until serving? Thanks!
Yes, I do double/triple the cinnamon sticks and cloves. I usually decorate them about an hour before the time the party will be starting. I know that works fine. I’m not sure I’d do it much sooner than that, just not sure if the sugar would start to look weird. I keep the champagne and the base in the refrigerator until a 15 minutes before the start of party, then I mix them together and starting filling the glasses so as each guests arrives, after taking their coat I can greet them with a festive drink. 🙂
Sounds very festive—sent the recipe to 3 other people! Thank you
Is it cranberry cocktail juice that you use?
Yes, that’s it! I’ll see if I make that clearer in the recipe. Thanks, Heidi!
How many does it serve
I always make 4 batches when I have a party of 25 people and that works out about right. So 2 batches would work for around 10-12 people There’s never any left over. Hope that helps.
I made this for the neighborhood Christmas party this past weekend and it was a huge hit! So good and i don’t even like champagne or cranberry juice. Lol! One thing to mention is that i used plastic pitchers for the drink and whatever the sugar, water, cinnamon and clove base was in, makes whatever else i put in (even after soaking in bleach) take on a cinnamon and clove taste. Not good for iced tea.
Glad it was a hit, I love it and look forward to it every year. 🙂
Not sure if this helps, but I usually put the base that I’ve mixed up in a food storage container(s) like the kind you would use for leftovers. Then I mix it into a glass pitcher with the other ingredients when it’s time to serve it. I’ve never noticed the storage containers smelling or tasting like cinnamon/clove afterwards. I guess the ones I’ve been using didn’t absorb any of the spice flavors. Thanks for that tip, Tammy.
P.S. I also made a batch with non-alcohol champagne for the kids and they REALLY loved it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Susan to you and your family! and to all who enjoy this blog!
This champagne will be on my table for the New Year – Thank you!
Awesome idea! I made these tonight and they looked beautiful yet super easy to make. Tasted great too! I didn’t have sugar but they still tasted great. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I tested this recipe. It’s super easy & super tasty. Initially I thought it was a little weak as it calls for only the Brut so I added a little lemon vodka. That was good too. I think I’ll serve the recipe as it’s written so I don’t get anyone too drunk. The cinnamon & clove simple syrup add the unexpected Xmas flair & makes the house smell delicious.
So pretty and festive! Saved ! Happy 2020 Susan!