If mixing up individual cocktails for a holiday party seems like too daunting of a task, you may want to think of mixing up a punch. It takes maybe 10-20 minutes to prepare, many can be mixed ahead of time, and it frees you up to enjoy the festivities yourself. A punch doesn't have to be plain, boring, or lacking in flavor either, there are many great punches that rival the flavor of any single mixed drink.
Often, when it comes to a punch, the list of ingredients is long and can seem like a lot of work at first. However, they're often not as bad as they seem and I like to approach a punch recipe like I do a cookie recipe, breaking down the individual ingredients into a similar groups like the base liquids, the sweeteners, the enhancers (fruits, spices), and the garnish. An example is in the Hot Gin Punch recipe, where you can take the list of 12 individual ingredients and batch them into 5 groups. With this thinking the preparation process becomes smoother and you trick your mind into believing the recipe is rather easy.
What I really like about many of the punch recipes that are fitting for the holiday season is that they're often warmed to either fuse the flavors then chilled or served hot. This stovetop time is the perfect opportunity to prepare the punch's finishing touches such as clove-spiked oranges, unearthing the punch bowl and glasses, and wrangling the ice block or ring out of the mold (which you had thoughtfully prepared the day before).
Now that you're sold on serving punch, I have a couple of recommendations that can be used throughout this season...
- Hot Gin Punch - Mentioned above, this recipe combines the aromatics of Hendrick's Gin and Madeira wine with winter spices and tropical fruits and, as the name indicates, is served at a toasty warm temperature.
- Ginger Snap Punch - Another festive blend of spice and fruit backed up by the smooth Canadian Club 10 YO whisky. In this one the embellishing flavors are simmered together but the punch is chilled.
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