Champagne Punch

The Versatility of Champagne Punch

Champagne punch is a light, fruity drink that isn't too sweet and isn't too strong. There aren't any ingredients that you have to add to Champagne punch, not even the Champagne! Sparkling wine will do just fine, it's less expensive and nobody will even know the difference.

The Basics of Champagne Punch

Punch made with Champagne or sparkling wine has very few basic ingredients which are:

• Champagne – As mentioned above, less expensive sparkling wine is a perfect substitute.
• A bit of liquor – Rum is generally used, but liquors like Curacao, Chambord, Grand Marnier or Cointreau are also great additions.
• A carbonated beverage – This can be ginger ale, flavored carbonated water, soda water or tonic.
• Fruit juice – You can choose from frozen fruit juice concentrate or fresh squeezed fruit juice.

Champagne Punch Recipes

With so many great Champagne punch recipes floating around, it's difficult to decide on the best ones. Below are a few standout recipes.

1920's Champagne Punch

1 quart of Champagne (about two and a half 750ml bottles)

2 tablespoons of Orange Curacao

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of water

The juice from two fresh squeezed lemons

2 cups of tea

2 cups of rum

4 tablespoons of brandy

Mix the ingredients together in a punch bowl and top with soda water before serving.

Now, here are a few substitutions that bring this 1920's Champagne Punch into the modern era:

• Blue Curacao instead of orange
• Omit the water
• Use pineapple juice instead of tea
• Substitute flavored brandy as opposed to non-flavored brandy
• Top with flavored club soda instead of soda water

Sweet and Tart Champagne Punch

12 ounces of cranberry juice

12 ounces of frozen limeade concentrate (or try Minute Maid brand's Cherry-Limeade sold in ½ gallons)

12 ounces (one can) frozen pink lemonade concentrate

2 bottles of Champagne or sparkling wine

1 lemon, sliced thin

1 lime sliced thin

1 liter of carbonated water.

Mix all the ingredients together in a punch bowl. Float the lime and lemon slices on top of the punch for a garnish.

Mimosa Champagne Punch

24 ounces of frozen orange juice concentrate

3 bottles of champagne or sparkling wine

8 cups of ginger ale

Mix all the ingredients together in a punch bowl and serve in Champagne flutes garnished with an orange slice. Perfect for a Sunday brunch.

Creating Your own Champagne Punch Cocktail

It is so easy to invent your own Champagne punch. All you have to do is think of two or more types of fruit that compliment one another and go from there. Here's a short list of a few fruits with flavors that blend well together:

• Cranberry and orange
• Strawberries and raspberries
• Peaches (or nectarines) and pears
• Cantaloupe and honeydew

Building the Recipe

Once you have the basic fruit flavors that you want, move onto liquors. For this example, let's use strawberries and raspberries and build a champagne punch recipe from there: 12 ounces of frozen strawberries

12 ounces of frozen raspberries

3 bottles of Champagne or sparkling wine

½ cup of strawberry flavored vodka

1 liter of raspberry flavored sparkling water

1 pint of fresh raspberries

1 pint of fresh strawberries, sliced

Puree both the frozen strawberries and raspberries then mix the pureed fruit with the Champagne, flavored vodka and sparkling water in a large punch bowl. Float the fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries on top for a garnish. If you want to add another flavor that would go well with this punch, try a little blueberry flavored vodka and float a few fresh blueberries on top.

Final Words

Don't be afraid to experiment with different fruit flavors when trying to create your signature Champagne punch. Also, don't forget about the look and feel of the final product - after all we eat (and drink) with our eyes first.