Christmas Punch (Nonalcoholic)
| For more years than I want to remember, Richard and I have
sponsored a little reception after the Christmas Eve service at the
Old South Haven Presbyterian Church. One side of the table has
been Jan's Eggnog (see), a tradition that extends for many years
before we took the task. On the other side of the table is a
nonalcoholic "Christmas" punch. Between is stacked with
Christmas sweets—mostly acquired by Richard on various shopping
excursions (we long ago discovered that the bakery can do a better job
at cookies than we can). It is the Christmas punch that has
always been most troublesome. I have tried both hot and cold
punches, but all have been unsatisfying. Most of the time they
have been just too sweet, especially given the quantity of other
sweets on the table. I now think I have found a combination that
is close to what I've been looking for. And for the first time
ever, I received as many complements on the punch as I have received
on the eggnog. |
|
Recipe
4 cups 100% pure unsweetened cranberry juice (NOT the cranberry juice
cocktails mass marketed in the supermarkets, which are mostly water and
sugar).
2 quarts (64 ounces) pineapple juice.
Juice of six lemons (about 1.5 cup)
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 2-litre bottle of ginger ale
12 oz. frozen strawberries.
- Combine together all ingredients except ginger ale and strawberries.
Refrigerate until ready to use. Refrigerate ginger ale.
- Make a frozen strawberry ring, and keep frozen until ready to use
- Just before serving, stir in ginger ale and float strawberry ring.
Makes TWO punch bowls (about 20 servings total). In combining, use
only one-half of mixture and ginger ale at a time. |