Non-alcoholic Cranberry Ginger Ale Punch Recipe

January 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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!

Non alcoholic Cranberry Punch with Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, and Ginger Ale! Easy!

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:

  1. In a large pitcher or punch bowl, whisk cranberry sauce until smooth.
    Non-alcoholic Cranberry Ginger Ale Punch Recipe: Pacific Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce being whisked from the rectangular shape of the package to be more freeform
  2. Whisk in orange and lemon juices. Refrigerate and keep doing the rest of your party food or house cleaning.
    Non-alcoholic Cranberry Ginger Ale Punch recipe: Whisking in the Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice and Lemon Juice in my Punch Container
  3. 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.
    Non-alcoholic Cranberry Ginger Ale Punch recipe: Adding in the Ginger Ale to my Cranberry punch Non alcoholic Cranberry Punch with Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, and Ginger Ale

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.

Non alcoholic Cranberry Punch with Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, and Ginger Ale

Cheers!

What do you like to serve as a non alcoholic option to your guests?

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Trader Vic’s Portland: Drink there

July 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Because of Portland Dining month and meeting someone after they got off the Amtrak, Trader Vic’s was a stop for dinner one evening in June. As my previous two visits, the drinks were delicious and tasted like there was no alcohol but do pack a punch while tasting like punch. This time, instead of the Menehune or Mai Tai, I tried out the Potted Parrot, a fruity concoction that allowed me to take the parrot on a chopstick home to hang out with my Menehune couple.

Trader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktails

For appetizers, I selected the Crab Rangoon with Blue crab, spiced cream cheese, crisp wonton wrapper… the wonton wrapper was not very crispy, and it was more cream cheese than crab. The Edamame Humus are served with house-made lavash crackers, chili oil and daikon sprouts, and was a stand out only because those crackers are wonderfully seedy, the hummus had little flavor. But, you can also get those crackers, along with peanut butter, as part of Trader Vic’s “bread service”.

Trader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktailsTrader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktailsTrader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktails

The entree was a beautiful looking in presentation but overcooked Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with ginger citrus beurre blanc, some thin grilled asparagus, and wasabi mashed potatoes that promised with its color but didn’t deliver with flavor. It’s a good thing the June Dining month deal was for the appetizer, entree, and dessert for $25… usually this entree alone is $24, and I would have been upset.  The dessert was a servicable Snowball – Vanilla bean ice cream, toasted coconut, house-made chocolate sauce, and the other entree was the Vegetarian Curry, which the best part was the rice (served separately) and the accompaniment of more of those seeds that are used on the lavash crackers on the side.

Trader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktailsTrader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktailsTrader Vic's Portland, Polynesian cuisine and cocktails

Still, the drinks are fun, and the bartendress very friendly and fast in servicing all those around on the bar. Check out the happy hour here- the best food I’ve had so far is still their shrimp, which is available on their happy hour menu, and that’s probably the menu you’ll want to use if you want any nibbles at all that are worth the price. There are plenty of other places to eat in the Pearl, so this could be a good warm-up before that better meal for your dollar some place else- soak up the laid back atmosphere and the tiki drinks, pretending you’re in a tropical kitschy place… and then move onward in your adventures… or probably misadventures, the way these drinks can sneak up on you.

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Filed Under: Cocktails, Food and Drink, Restaurant Review Tagged With: , , , , , ,