Christmas Morning Punch

This Christmas Morning Punch is such a delicious way to celebrate the holiday! You can make it either with or without alcohol, and it's super refreshing either way. This fizzy fruit juice mixture of pomegranate, cranberry, and orange juice with sparkling cider makes any breakfast or brunch a little bit more festive.

Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Even though I am a certified night owl, Christmas breakfast is always the best meal of the year. And this Christmas punch recipe is one of the best parts!

This punch was created to be a morning pick-me-up alongside your brunch coffee. It's a little more festive than just a glass of OJ, and the light fizz from sparkling apple cider is a nice touch. It's so perfect for Christmas morning!

Looking for more Christmas-inspired easy recipes? Try out this Cranberry and Orange Juice Mocktail, an easy Champagne and cranberry Poinsettia Cocktail, or a delicious White Christmas Margarita. Or, go for a Christmas Mule if you're in the mood for some ginger beer and cranberry!

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients you'll need to mix up this tasty Christmas drink. Scroll down to the Variations section for ideas on how to make it with alcohol.

• Pomegranate juice - this is sweet and has a deep berry-like flavor.
• Cranberry juice - try to use 100% juice if you can. Cranberry juice is very tart and goes really well with the other flavors.
• Orange juice - either freshly squeezed or in a carton.
• Lime juice - fresh if possible for the best flavor.
• Ginger syrup - this brings some sweetness with a little bit of a ginger kick. I used The Ginger People Fiji Ginger Syrup.
• Sparkling cider - I used Martinelli's brand cider. You can also use fresh cider.
• Pomegranate arils (optional) - these are for garnish, or you can use fresh cranberries if you want your garnish to float.

Substitutions

If you can't get hold of one of the ingredients, here are some substitution ideas:

• Pomegranate juice - if you can't find pomegranate juice, try using cherry juice. Or, you can substitute in grenadine, which is pomegranate syrup. If you use grenadine, I suggest reducing or omitting the ginger syrup, or else it will probably end up being too sweet.
• Cranberry juice - if there is no cranberry juice near you, add in a little more pomegranate juice plus an extra lime's worth of juice.
• Orange juice - you can use grapefruit juice in place of orange juice, but add a little more sweetener, like some honey, along with it.
• Lime - use a lemon instead.
• Ginger Syrup - you can make your own ginger syrup by boiling cut up fresh ginger with an equal amount of sugar and water and letting it cool. Or, use about a teaspoon of fresh ginger juice along with a little bit of plain simple syrup.
• Sparkling cider - try a lemon-lime soda or ginger ale in place of the cider. You can even use plain or flavored seltzer.

Variations

This is an easy drink to vary, since it's a super versatile juice blend. Try out these options:

• Spiked Christmas Morning Punch - Just add Prosecco or Champagne instead of the sparkling cider for more of a kick. For an even stronger drink, add 4 to 6 ounces of a spirit, like vodka or gin. Or, add in 6 ounces of a raspberry liqueur, like Chambord.
• Pineapple Brunch Punch - switch out the pomegranate juice for pineapple juice. You can also use a fresh pineapple wedge as a tropical garnish.
• Rosemary Punch - instead of ginger syrup, use rosemary simple syrup (homemade or store bought), and double the amount used. Replace the cider with tonic water or ginger ale, and replace the pomegranate juice with plain apple juice.
• Sherbet Punch - add a few scoops of rainbow sherbet to the punch bowl for a sweet treat. The sherbet will leave kind of a foam on the top of the drink as it melts and interacts with the carbonation.

Equipment

The main things you'll need for this holiday punch are a container to serve it in, and some serving glasses. A long bar spoon also comes in handy, as well as a knife and cutting board for the fruit, and a way to juice your citrus if you're using fresh fruit. Lastly, of course, some fancy glasses to serve it in!

• Jigger or measuring cup to measure your liquids
• Large pitcher or punch bowl - I used this: Glass pitcher - 1.7 L.
• Long bar spoon - I used a Zulay Bar spoon to get all the way to the bottom of the pitcher to stir it up.
• Knife and cutting board - for the citrus.
• Citrus press juicer - I used this citrus juicer.
• Stemless wine glasses or tumblers for serving

Instructions

To make this Christmas Morning Punch, start by cutting a few lime slices for a garnish, and then juice the rest of the lime into your pitcher or bowl. If you're using pomegranate arils, add some to the pitcher (or you could save them until the end to add to each glass).

Next, add in the ginger syrup, and then the pomegranate juice.

Then, add in the cranberry juice and orange juice. Add in the lime slices if you are using them, and top it all off with sparkling apple cider (or Champagne, if you're going for an alcoholic version).

When everything is mixed, add some ice and keep it cool until you're ready to serve. Serve in an ice-filled glass with a lime wheel garnish.

Hint: if you want the drinks to keep more of their fizziness, don't add the sparkling apple cider until after you pour the juice mixture into the serving glasses. Just top each glass off with the cider and serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Top tip

Have some guests who want an alcoholic Christmas punch, and some who want non-alcoholic? Just combine everything except the sparkling cider in your serving container. This way, you can choose which glasses to add the alcohol to.

Top off the non-alcoholic glasses with the cider, and the alcohol ones with sparkling wine and/or an ounce of gin or vodka. Try to use a different garnish for the alcohol glasses, like a sprig of rosemary or an orange slice, so it's easy to tell them apart!