Quickly Make an Alcoholic Party Punch

There's nothing like punch to make a party feel more festive. Spiking it with alcohol increases the fun even more. If you don't already have them on hand head to the liquor store to pick up the ingredients you need to whip up one of these three punches: Hawaiian punch, classic sangria, or spiked Arnold Palmer punch.

  • Total time (Punch): 5-10 minutes

Steps

Adult Hawaiian Punch (Easy Method)

  1. Get Hawaiian Punch drink. Hawaiian Punch brand fruit drink or any generic equivalent fruit punch is the easiest "base" to mix alcoholic punch. It covers a lot of alcohol well and still maintains a smooth taste when mixed. It’s also very flexible and can be blended with a lot of different types of alcohols and/or fruit juices.
  2. Choose an alcohol. Hawaiian punch mixes well with just about any alcohol. Remember, this isn't an exact science, so play around with what you like. Some types of alcohol you can try mixing include:
    • Vodka
    • White rum
    • Fruit schnapps (watermelon, strawberry, peach, etc.)
    • Champagne
    • Southern Comfort
  3. Mix two parts alcohol to three parts punch. In a bowl, add a generous amount of ice and pour measured quantities of fruit juice and alcohol into the bowl. Adjust for taste.
    • If you use Everclear grain alcohol, only add five or six shots per gallon of punch.
  4. Add some optional fruit garnishes and serve. Jazz up your punch with lemon or lime slices, or skewer pieces of fruit such as pineapple, watermelon, orange, or cherry on a toothpick and put one in each glass.

Classic Sangria

  1. Gather Supplies. Sangria, which originates in Spain, is a classic wine punch that tastes delicious and will add a flair of the exotic at your next party. The classic combination consists of wine, chopped fruit, and brandy, but you can easily leave the brandy out for a quick combination to make at home. When pressed for time, you can leave out the sweetener and sugar and rely on the tart but fruity flavor of cranberry juice to give your drink sweetness and body. All you need to add to that is red wine and your favorite fruit. The best ratio consists of:
    • 1 bottle of your favorite red wine. No need to splurge on expensive wine, because the flavors will be heavily masked by the juice and fruit. White wine can be used instead, in which case the result is often called sangria blanca. White wines tend to be sweeter and, therefore, you can adjust the mixer to taste.
    • 1 - 2 cups fresh fruit pieces, such as orange, lemon, lime, apple, peach, melon, grapes. Cube the fruit into about half an inch pieces so it mixes well with the liquid while still keeping its substance. Experiment with different types of fruit and how they flavor the sangria. Fresh fruit will hold up best after long saturation in the liquid, maintaining a bit of crunch to keep the drink interesting.
    • 2 cups of a mixer to dilute the wine. Any fruit juice or carbonated beverage can work, but be careful to consider the sweetness vs. the flavors of the fruit and wine.
    • For an even more festive treat, add a carbonated beverage, such as 7 Up or Sprite, or seltzer water to give your drink a pleasant fizz. If you’re going to use a carbonated beverage, be sure to wait until just before serving to mix this in, as the bubbles will quickly dissipate.
  2. Mix the ingredients. Empty the bottle of wine into a large container, and add the fruit pieces. Combine with the mixer to taste; it should maintain the taste of the wine, but be less noticeably alcoholic.
  3. Chill in a carafe or large pitcher and serve. Immediately before serving, add ice to your carafe so the drink stays cool. Because of the fruit pieces, your choice of container is slightly more important than with other punches. A lid or other strainer will help you regulate the ratio of ice and fruit pieces in each glass. In Spain and other parts of Europe, sangria is often served with a wooden spoon to help get fruit out of the bottom of the punch bowl.

Spiked Arnold Palmer

  1. Gather Supplies. This classic summertime refreshment, known as “Half & Half” in the Southern United States, is attributed to 60’s era professional golfer Arnold Palmer. Having concocted the delicious combination of iced tea and lemonade at home, he began ordering it in bars and the drink quickly caught on. A Spiked Arnold Palmer has three simple ingredients: iced tea, lemonade, and bourbon. The best ratio is 4 parts tea and 4 parts lemonade to 1 part bourbon, but the drink is very forgiving, and can be scaled up based on the size of your crowd.
  2. Make the tea. Add 5 regular tea bags to 4 cups boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes before discarding tea bags. If you don't want to make the tea, you can buy it pre-made.
  3. Make the lemonade. To prepare lemonade from scratch, squeeze the juice from 8 lemons. Combine with 1 ½ cups sugar and up to 6 cups water, adjusting to your desired sweetness. Chill until you plan to serve. If you don't want to make the lemonade, buy some pre-made.
  4. Mix the ingredients. Combine 4 cups tea, 4 cups lemonade and 1 cup bourbon in a large container. Adjust the ratios to taste.
    • Chill in a carafe or large pitcher and serve. Spiked Arnold Palmers are best served with lots of ice, a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint for garnish.

Tips

  • Add some fruity tame liquor, like peach schnapps, along with some heavy-hitter like Bacardi 151 to give your punch flavor and bite.
  • If you’re making iced tea and lemonade from scratch for the Arnold Palmer, double your recipes and you’ll have extra for guests who don’t drink alcohol, or young party-goers!
  • Both clear and dark liquors will work with the fruit punch.
  • Clear sodas like Sprite and Squirt add a nice kick of carbonation to your punch as well without changing the flavor a lot.
  • To enhance the flavor even more, add some real juice to it. Something simple (like orange) or more exotic (like strawberry kiwi) would work nicely.
  • Strawberry lemonade, mint iced tea; the possibilities are endless. Almost any flavor of lemonade works well in this recipe, but avoid strongly herbal teas.
  • You can also use frozen concentrate instead of juice.

Warnings

  • Watch your mates. Send them home in a taxi if they have too much to drink.
  • Don't put too much alcohol into it if you don't like it.
  • Drink in moderation.

Things You'll Need

  • Large punch bowl
  • Ice
  • Various liquors
  • Fruit juice (fresh or concentrated)
  • Fruit garnishes (optional)

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Quickly_Make_an_Alcoholic_Party_Punch&oldid=301807"