If you’re looking for a signature drink to finish off your holiday menu, this easy Christmas punch is safe for the kids but delicious enough for the adults! It’s a Christmas fruit punch recipe combined with a little almond extract to give it a flavor unlike any other punch you’ve ever tried! It’ll be a new Christmas favorite!
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The Best Christmas punch Recipe
I am a huge fan of having a festive drink at every celebration that everyone can enjoy, not just the adults! That’s why over the years we’ve created a ton of punch recipes from a Thanksgiving punch to a Halloween punch that are flavorful, festive, and fun!
This Christmas punch is what we call our yummy Christmas punch because out of all of our Christmas drinks, this is easily the one we make the most. It’s that good. Both for kids and adults!
The punch starts with a simple syrup base that gets combined with a bunch of fruit juices then finished off with a dash of almond extract and some ginger ale to make it sparkling and the final product just works so well together, it’s hard to describe.
I highly recommend you try it at least once, just know once you make it, you might make it for every party!
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Punch
- Smooth flavor – I don’t know if smooth is the right word for it but when multiple fruity flavors just meld together into something delicious, smooth feels like the right word for it.
- Warmth and depth – the almond extract in this gives it a really nice holiday flavor that’s warm and has depth, compared to the more straight forward flavor of something like this Grinch punch.
- Made for a crowd – this recipe is written for a crowd, and it’s just as easy to make it for four people as it is to make it for 40!
Christmas Punch Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Water and sugar – this is the base of the sweetness of this punch, you’ll combine these two together to create a simple syrup base. I’ve tried this with store-bought simple syrup, and it wasn’t the same so I definitely recommend just making your own!
- Gingerale – I always prefer Canada Dry because I know what flavor I’m getting but any ginger ale should work just fine.
- Cranberry juice – you’ll want straight cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail (or another combination that mixes cranberry with other juices).
- Almond extract – this is a must for this punch as it totally changes the flavor. I do not recommend leaving this out or substituting anything for it.
- Lemon juice – either fresh or bottled lemon juice works great for this, you’re just adding enough to help with that fruity flavor.
How to make this Christmas punch
Most punches are just pouring things into a bowl. This one takes a few more steps but those steps are worth it to get one of the most delicious Christmas punches you’ll ever try!
1 – Make the Simple Syrup
Start by combining the water and sugar in a pot on the stove. Heat the water to a boil and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved into the water, making your simple syrup. Then remove the pot from the heat.
Tip!
Normally you would let the simple syrup cool completely but in this case, we’re going to freeze the punch overnight so it doesn’t matter if the simple syrup is cool before moving onto the next step!
That being said, if you decide to not freeze the punch mixture (info about that below, then I do recommend cooling the simple syrup completely before adding it to the fruity drinks below).
2 – Make the Christmas Fruit Punch Mixture
Combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and almond extract in a large freezer safe bowl, mixing until they’re well combined.
Place the bowl of punch in the freezer and freeze overnight.
I have a plastic punch bowl, so I typically just freeze it right in the punch bowl but you could freeze it in really whatever you want as long as it’s freezer safe!
3 – Finish the Christmas Party Punch
Take the punch out of the freezer about 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve it. Let it thaw slightly and then add the ginger ale right on top of the punch.
Top with fresh cranberries and lemon slices for garnish if desired or just leave it just like it is.
Serve immediately while the punch is still nice and chilly for the ultimate Christmas punch that’s perfect to go with anything from Christmas cookies to Christmas dinner!
Tips and Storage Info
This punch stores great in the fridge. Just pour any leftovers into a airtight pitcher or punch dispenser and place in the fridge, then enjoy within a week (if it lasts that long).
Make sure to let the mixture thaw slightly before adding the ginger ale so the ginger ale can actually mix into the punch!
Make the simple syrup ahead of time and chill in the fridge until you make the punch to skip the freezing portion of this recipe!
Recipe FAQs
What if I don’t have time to freeze it?
Freezing the punch overnight allows the flavors time to mix together well (and allows you to serve the punch nice and chilled without adding ice) but this punch can still be made without freezing it overnight.
To make this without freezing the punch, make sure all of your ingredients are stored in the fridge and completely chilled. Then let your simple syrup cool completely (put it in the fridge) before adding to your other ingredients.
It’ll still be cool but not as chilled as if you freeze it. I personally prefer serving it from frozen for the chill factor but I get that not everyone has the time!
Can I use store bought simple syrup instead?
I recommend just using the water and sugar to make the simple syrup instead of using store-bought. Store-bought may be easier, but I feel like they’re never quite as sweet as you want, plus you’ll need a large quantity of the store-bought to make enough for this Christmas punch!
More Christmas Drinks
If you’re looking for more holiday drinks, try out some of these! You may not need any after you try this Christmas punch but just in case!
- Grinch hot chocolate – this smooth and creamy white hot chocolate gets a fun Grinchy twist!
- Gumdrop punch – this Whoville inspired punch is a fun and fruity sherbet punch that the kids are sure to love!
- Peppermint milkshakes – this Chick-Fil-A copycat recipe is bound to be a hit at any Christmas party or just on your own!
- Crockpot wassail – a slow cooker version of an all-time holiday classic!
- Holiday punch – another great punch option when you want something that both kids and adults will enjoy!
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Non Alcoholic Christmas Punch
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 ½ TBS lemon juice
- 32 oz pineapple juice
- 32 oz cranberry juice
- 1 TBS almond extract
- 64 oz ginger ale
Instructions
- Start by combining the water and sugar in a pot on the stove. Heat the water to a boil and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved into the water, making your simple syrup. Then remove the pot from the heat.1 3/4 cups sugar, 2 cups water
- Combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and almond extract in a large freezer safe bowl, mixing until they’re well combined.1 1/2 TBS lemon juice, 32 oz pineapple juice, 32 oz cranberry juice, 1 TBS almond extract
- Place the bowl of punch in the freezer and freeze overnight.
- Take the punch out of the freezer about 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve it.
- Let it thaw slightly and then add the ginger ale right on top of the punch. Serve immediately.64 oz ginger ale
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