Rejoice, for the holidays are upon us, and that means many wonderful things. One of those wonderful things is that people are throwing great parties, and great parties tend to have something in common – a punchbowl.
Let me tell you that this punch is dangerous. It turned a room full of quiet, civil human beings into raucous party attendees in about 45 minutes. So, in other words – a success!
The overall flavor is tart cranberry and lime without being overwhelming. The punch is sweetened with orgeat (almond)* syrup, which adds a festive, nutty flavor; while the Cocchi Americano and fresh grated nutmeg give the whole batch a spicy complexity. Give your next party (yuletide or otherwise) some spicy complexity by whipping up a batch of this punch.
Oh, and did I mention that it looks gorgeous?
Christmas Island Punch
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First thing's first: make your cranberry ice cubes. The amazing thing about ice cubes is they can pretty much be any shape you want, so you can basically use whatever container you have lying around. I used three small soup bowls, but I've seen other people use bundt pans to great effect. Whatever you choose, fill the container(s) with frozen cranberries, the fill to the brim with water right on top of the cranberries. Freeze overnight. Voila! Cranberry ice cubes (trust me, it's worth it).
Ok, so now you're ready to fill the punch bowl, and the good news is the rest of the process takes no time at all. Ready? Combine all of the above ingredients in your punch bowl, THAT'S IT. If you go in the order that the ingredients are listed in, everything should mix up quite nicely. Be careful adding your cranberry ice cubes, you don't want to spill any of this precious party fuel.
Hold up! Did you skimp on the garnish? The correct answer is no, no you did not, because the garnish will make your punch look gorgeous AF. Take some photos and post them! You know you want to. Make this punch and watch your party guests devolve into who they really are.
*What the heck is orgeat syrup and where do I get it? Orgeat syrup is a sweet almond syrup found in lots of Tiki cocktails, perhaps most famously the Mai-Tai. It's available on Amazon.com, you don't even have to leave your house! Come to think of it, just make your own. Whatever you do, don't buy one that's a bunch of corn syrup, it's going to taste gnarly. If you're the kind of person that's going to make this punch, you're probably the kind of person that doesn't want to use junky ingredients, and good for you.
Cheers!