Make a punch that adds to the party theme.
Party punch can set the tone for gatherings. Use recipes that tie-in with the season and the party occasion. Add fresh fruits and berries during summer to make a punch for an outdoor party. Freeze fruits in ice-cube trays to create interest. Look for non-alcoholic versions or set aside a quart or liter of punch in the refrigerator if children or non-drinkers will attend. Does this Spark an idea?
Brunch Coffee Punch
A coffee punch is a unique way to entertain guests for brunch. Use a stronger, dark-bean brew such as French Roast, Java or Espresso to bring out the coffee flavor as it can get diluted once you make the base for the punch with a blend of ice cream, milk and cream. Garnish the top of the punch with cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. Add a dash of vanilla to bring out sweetness. Spike with brandy, cognac or flavored liqueurs. Use teacups or coffee mugs for serving.
Halloween Scream
Make a "Witches Brew" for a Halloween party or for entertaining family and friends while watching a scary movie. The punch can be as basic as using cranberry juice, apple juice, sparkling soda and lime soda as the base. The trick is to make the punch look scary. To do that, simply add plastic items like eyeballs, brains and fingers to garnish the punch. Make frozen hands to keep the punch cold by filling surgical plastic gloves with water, closing the opening with rubber bands and freezing the gloves in the refrigerator.
Backyard Swamp-Water Punch
Make a base for the punch with fresh or frozen lemonade. Add ginger ale, sugar and triple sec to suit your taste for sweetness. Then add creme de menthe syrup to give the punch a swamp-water green color. Float fresh mint on top of the punch to add to the swamp-water effect. Garnish glasses with slices of lime and lemon. Serve the punch at summer barbecues, fall get-togethers with New Orleans-style gumbo and jambalaya, and to celebrate Mardi Gras.
Christmas Punch
Start with a basic punch of ginger ale, club soda and fruit punch. Use extra fruit punch to keep the punch more red than white. Add the colors of Christmas to the mix. Carve sherbet balls using lime and strawberry flavors to add them to the punch bowl. For a spike, have bottles of rum or bourbon on the side for adults.
Watermelon Champagne Punch
Make a punch with champagne as the base. To make the punch sweeter, mix in a simple syrup made by boiling water and sugar. Be sure to let the syrup cool down before adding to the punch bowl. To extend the champagne, add ginger ale. The key is to keep the punch sweet. Add watermelon balls and garnish champagne flutes with slices of the watermelon rind.
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