I hosted a New Year’s Eve pre-party get together at my home on New Year’s eve where those going to their New Year’s Eve shindig could stop by and grab a bite to eat (we had food brought in from Chez Dodo) and a warm up drink or two before going off to where they would ring in the new year. A small group of us stayed and just rang in the new year at my home. We had an assortment of mostly beer that we were enjoying all night, but I wanted to provide a non-alcoholic option that was fun and festive.
Enter this Non-alcoholic Cranberry Ginger Ale punch!
It is super easy to put together with only 4 ingredients, 2 of which you probably already have at home constantly anyway (and you want that OJ for New Year’s Day mimosas right)? I liked that I didn’t need to use anything from concentrate, and this was still super cheap to make in terms of ingredients. I made 2 batches and this served 20 of us (granted, not everyone was having punch) since each batch yields about 3 1/2 quarts.
Ingredients:
- 2 packages of ~16 ounces each jellied cranberry sauce. I used Pacific organic jellied cranberry sauce, which comes in 15.6 oz containers and were on sale at Whole Foods.
- 1 1/2 cups orange juice
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 2 liter bottle of ginger ale
Directions:
- In a large pitcher or punch bowl, whisk cranberry sauce until smooth.
- Whisk in orange and lemon juices. Refrigerate and keep doing the rest of your party food or house cleaning.
- Just before serving, take out the pitcher/punch bowl and add in the bottle of refrigerated ginger ale slowly so the fizz doesn’t go over the rim. Serve with ice and/or vodka if case anyone ones to add a little kick to their punch.
I like this punch because it’s well… punchy! It has a tart tang to it which is refreshing and festive, and the reddish color is great for the holidays. Even though it got flatter, I still was drinking the leftovers out of a pitcher for the rest of the week- just make sure you stir because some of the cranberry will settle to the bottom of the beverage.
Cheers!
What do you like to serve as a non alcoholic option to your guests?