Feeling punchy

There are few things I love more than a good alcoholic punch in the summertime. It's kind of like jungle juice for adults. Everyone likes it. It doesn't really taste like alcohol, and no matter the weird ingredients you mix together for it, it generally still tastes delicious. With it's bright colors and fruity flavors, it's the perfect light summer beverage for a party, and it frees you up to have fun since it can be made in huge quantities and set out in a fancy bowl to let party goers ladle their own. An end to refilling beverages, and worrying that people don't have a beer. Here's some recipes to get you going.

My favorite punch recipe from my childhood (before I spiked it with alcohol) was the classic party punch. Yet, it's even better with a little vodka mixed in. But beware, it's my mom's recipe, straight out of the days when no one could tell if punch was spiked or not. It may taste delicious and refreshing, but it packs a punch. Now that I think of it, maybe that's how it got it's name...

Mom's Raspberry Sherbet Punch

-1 or 2, 2 liter bottles raspberry ginger ale
-1 large container rainbow sherbet
-1 large bottle Hawaiian punch
-1 large bottle raspberry vodka

Chill all ingredients overnight. 15 minutes before party is to start, pour all liquids into a large punch bowl (or plastic Halloween cauldron from Party City if it's at my apartment). Give it a stir. Scoop in the sherbet in large gobs. Stick a large ladle in the bowl. Party on. *To make it a little less sugary sweet, and your hangover a little less crippling, use regular ginger ale, seltzer, or unflavored vodka.

My BFFL's Strawberry Punch

In case some of you are unfamiliar with the term BFFL (pronounced biffle, like wiffle), it stands for Best Friend for Life, but I got this recipe from her. I tried it out on my book club one month, and it got rave reviews.

-1 to 2 bottles cheap champagne. I prefer Andre for all punches, but you can class it up a little bit if you feel like it. I used one bottle regular, one bottle strawberry flavored.
-1, 2L bottle seltzer
-A cup or two strawberry vodka
-A quart of strawberries, sliced lengthwise

Same preparation method as the previous punch, though this one's best served in a pink bowl rather than the Halloween cauldron. Pour it all together, mix. Dump in the strawberries last so they float around on top. As bonus points when I made it, I had a little left over lemonade in the pitcher, so I froze a tray of lemonade ice cubes and dropped a frozen raspberry into each cube before putting it in the freezer. These kept it cool, and gave it a little extra fruity lemony flavor when they dissolved and did not water down my punch. Mixing lemonade with this punch would probably be fairly delicious too.


Bowl fulla Arnold Palmers

This recipe was invented when I was brainstorming with the BFFL for a party punch that was slightly less deadly than the strawberry bubbly concoction.

-A big pitcher of iced tea (a gallon?), sweetened or unsweetened to preference
-A slightly larger pitcher of lemonade
-One bottle Sweet Tea Vodka (I like FireFly the best)
-5 lemons sliced width wise

Mix all the liquid ingredients together, and float lemon slices on top. Use more lemonade than tea, since the sweet tea vodka will add a little tea flavor, and you don't want to overpower the delicate balance of an Arnold Palmer with too much tea.

Now go out there, take a hold of one of the last weekends of summer and be punch drunk with delicious fruity cocktails and happiness. These will not disappoint.