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Holly and the Ivy Punch

Overview

This Christmas-themed punch combines elements of my Port of Call and a Cosmopolitan, plus Champagne.  It's bubbly and festive as all hell.  The cranberry gin infusion generally takes a few days, but you can speed it up if you use more cranberries.  Or you can use cranberry preserves, details below.

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For garnish, outside of the orange peel, you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you'll be serving this in a punch bowl, I recommend taking the sangria approach and throwing in a bunch of fruit.  Apple slices, blood orange wheels, and pomegranate seeds are all pretty and seasonal.  

 

This can be made with both brut and rosé sparkling wine.  Other orange liqueurs can be used, though the brightness of Cointreau will give you the best result.  The baking spice bitters add a pleasant hint of spice, but they’re not essential.  Merry merry!

Recipe - Makes 8-12 servings

 

  • 1 cup cranberry-infused gin

  • ½ cup lemon juice

  • ​¼ cup Cointreau

  • ​½ cup simple syrup

  • 4 dashes baking spice bitters (optional)

  • ¾ cup water

  • 1 cup ice or 1 large punch cube.

  • 1 bottle of dry sparkling wine or rosé, or to taste

  • 1 long orange peel and seasonal fruit for garnish

 

  1. Combine infused gin, Cointreau, lemon, simple syrup, bitters, water and ice in a pitcher or punch bowl or pitcher. 

  2. Add sparkling wine, briefly stir, express the oils from the orange peel and add any additional garnish. 

  3. Ladle/pour into wine glasses or punch cups, over ice if you like.

Cranberry-Infused Gin

This infusion has lots of holiday applications.  It’s awesome in a Gimlet or French 75.  Though you may find you want to add a touch more simple syrup to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.  It also can be made with vodka. 

 

  • 1 cup gin

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries coarsely chopped

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  1. Coarsely chop the cranberries, pulsing them once or twice in a food processor works well.

  2. Combine the cranberries and the gin in a covered container at room temperature.  

  3. Let sit for about 3 days (you can probably get away with 2), agitating occasionally.

  4. Strain and refrigerate.

 

**To speed up infusion time use more cranberries.

 

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Cranberry Preserves instead of Cranberry-Infused Gin

If you don’t have/or want to make the gin infusion you can use regular gin and cranberry preserves (or chutney/jam/relish, whatever).   Add ¼ cup preserves to the recipe and decrease Cointreau to a ¼ cup and the simple syrup to about 3 ounces.  Stir the preserves into the gin and strain out the solids before building the punch.  Here’s some info on what to buy/how to make cranberry preserves.

rye whiskey, social hour, tom macy, cocktail, classic cocktail

Single Serving

This works great as an individual serving too.  In fact, we have it on the menu at our Leyenda Christmas popup (aka “Sleyenda”) where it’s served with a mini-Christmas stocking clipped to the side of the glass stuffed with a tiny candy cane.  

 

  • 1 oz cranberry-infused gin

  • ½ oz lemon juice

  • ¼ oz Cointreau

  • ½ oz simple syrup

  • dash baking spice bitters 

  • 2-3 oz dry sparkling wine or rosé

  • orange peel for garnish

 

Combine everything except the bubbles in a shaker. Fill with ice, shake and fine strain into a coupe or champagne flute.  Top with the sparkling wine, express the oils from the orange peel. 

rye whiskey, social hour, tom macy, cocktail, classic cocktail

If you make a Holly & the Ivy punch,

let me see!  Tag a photo with @socialhourcocktails on Instagram.

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