(Note: this post was originally published on December 17, 2020. The date above reflects migration to the new platform.)
As we near the holidays, I'm all about over-the-top food and cocktails. This is the time of year to break out all your most epic recipes, crazy garnishes, indulgent treats, and unnecessary but excellent culinary flair. This rum punch is perfect for the season!
This punch is a celebration of all things December and holiday. It features an over-abundance of seasonal ingredients and flavors, including warming spices, fresh herbs, and all the unique December fruit you can get your hands on. It's festive, colorful, and oh-so-special.
Rum punch (or bourbon punch) is my solution to sangria. To be completely honest, I don't love wine. I try to enjoy it, and sometimes I can get in the mood. But I'd happily take a distilled product over wine any day. However, I do feel like I sometimes miss out with sangria. Enter this boozy rum punch! It has all the best aspects of sangria, minus the annoying wine, plus the most gorgeous spiced rum.
This punch makes use of spiced rum, which has a lovely amber color and complex, warming spice flavors. I complement those with sweet apple cider, tart pomegranate juice, and zippy ginger beer for a nicely-balanced profile. You can use whatever seasonal fruit you like. Top it off with a couple sprigs of thyme and a cinnamon stick and you'll have yourself a cornucopia of holiday ingredients! In this case, more is definitely more.
As you all know, I'm in love with Koloa Rum from Kaua'i! I work with Koloa on a lot of their recipes, so if you're a rum lover like me, definitely check out their Instagram (@KoloaRum) to get more ideas. Rum is truly a versatile spirit that's great year-round, not just in summery tiki drinks.
One thing I love about this drink is that you can change up the ingredients however you like. It would work great with bourbon instead of rum, with rosemary instead of thyme, and with whatever fruit you love. I've shown persimmon, pomegranate, and clementine since they're such iconic holiday fruits, but apple, pear, cranberries, and any sort of orange would work beautifully too. Mix and match to use what looks fresh and what will complement your menu.
There is one important logistical thing to keep in mind here though: this drink will work best if you plan ahead. Mix together your rum, cider, and pomegranate juice, and let it sit in the fridge overnight with the fruit slices. The fruit will infuse the cocktail with such wonderful, complex, festive flavor. Then, when you're ready to serve, add the ginger beer and garnish it up!
Hosting a crowd? No problem! This punch works great as a batch cocktail. Just take the amounts in the recipe card and multiply as needed.
Here's what you'll need for this recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.
One of the things I love about punch-style cocktails like this is that they're easy to scale up as needed. The amounts below are for a single drink; multiply as you wish! You can easily make a big pitcher to serve a crowd, or a small pitcher for a holiday date night. Bonus points if you have an old-school, over-the-top crystal punch bowl. (Clearly I don't, but I've shown this drink in an antique Waterford bowl that was passed down from my grandmother; ssssshhh don't tell!).
Isn't this drink just plain fun? It has such holiday spirit and is so beautiful. It could even make for a great table centerpiece. Happy holidays, I hope they're merry and bright! This punch will certainly help achieve that.
It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.
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Disclosure: Koloa Rum is a long-term partner and I receive free product. However, all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Rogue Brussel Sprout running.
This festive holiday punch is bursting with seasonal fruit and cozy flavors. Iconic fall ingredients like apple cider, pomegranate, ginger beer, and warming spices make this punch the perfect addition to any holiday meal.
Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.
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