HOLIDAY POMEGRANATE PUNCH

Need a drink for your holiday party? You should make this.

If that wasn’t enough to convince you, know that I made this for my holiday party last year and people are STILL talking about it. It’s easy to make, looks beautiful, and is a real crowd pleaser. Ladies and gents alike were sipping it up like water in a desert. The acidity of the lemon wedges cuts at the sweetness of the pomegranate in just the right way, and the champagne bubbles and mint keep it crisp and light. The rum gets people in the mood to boogie.

If you haven’t made a punch before, beware: you will need a punch bowl. Four hours before our party, I figured we could just use a big salad bowl and a plastic ladle. Not only did that look all sorts of college-style hodgy-podgy, it simply would not fit. I’m not saying splurge on a punch bowl that you use once a year (like we ended up foolishly doing thanks to Crate & Barrel gift cards), but you are going to need a big enough vessel to hold the punch and ice block.

Want to class up your punch and get Martha Stewart cred for being fancy and festive? Make a big block of ice the day before you serve the punch. Freeze water in a container (circular plastic tupperware works well) and add slices of lemon. If you have time to spend, fill the container up half way, and add lemon slices. Let freeze (lemons will float to the top). Then add water to cover. Feel free to add another layer of lemon slices if you’d like. It adds for a nice finish that people notice and makes you look oh so fancy.

So forget thinking about a signature cocktail for your ugly Christmas sweater and all the time that takes you away from your guests. Just make this punch, get ready for compliments, and put your dancing shoes on!

Ingredients

• 1 fifth white rum

• 3 cups pomegranate juice

• 4 750-ml bottles chilled brut Champagne

• 1/2 cup simple syrup (1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup water)

• 1 large lemon, thinly sliced

• Pomegranate seeds (approx. 1 cup)

• Fresh mint leaves (approx. 20-30 leaves)

• 1 ice block

Preparation

1. To prepare simple syrup: bring equal parts sugar and water to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely (can be made in advance)

2. In a large punch bowl, combine Champagne, rum, and pomegranate juice

3. Gently stir, taste, and add simple syrup to taste

4. Carefully add ice block to bowl

5. Garnish with pomegranate seeds lemon slices

Serves 20.

Source: Bon Appetit | Pomegranate Champagne Punch