Punch Your Way Through Christmas

Let punch be your answer for holiday drinks this season. From cocktail parties to sit-down dinners, forget the bar cart and appointing someone (hopefully not yourself) as the bartender. Not only is punch synonymous with the holidays with warm flavors and colors, punch can be made in a big batch a day in advance of the party, which lets the hostess or host relax and actually enjoy their event.

And because there are endless punch recipes for the holidays, we made your drink decision even easier. Our Port of Call Punch is the one holiday punch recipe you'll use all season long. With only six ingredients, this punch can easily be made with what you already have on hand. You might even have a dusty bottle of Port sitting in your liquor cabinet that you can transform with these festive flavors. With fresh citrus, nutmeg and orange liqueur, this punch is floral, refreshing and soothing as these fragrant flavors blend together. We use Ruby Port because it's a little sweeter than traditional Port but either would work fine. 

This recipe is a great starting point by using the base ingredients and substituting your alcohol of choice. If Port is not for you and your guests, you can try using a sweetened rum. However, we wouldn't recommend vodka or anything particularly dry. From sangria to glogg, these recipes below can also be made ahead in a big batch for your guests to sip on throughout the night:

• Citrusy Gin and Blood Orange Punch
• Spicy Rum Punch
• Holiday Glögg
• Apple-Cranberry Holiday Wassail
• Warm Spiced (and Spiked) Cabernet

Choose any of these punch recipes and your holiday party will be off to great start. If you want to continue drinks throughout the night, purchase some bottles of wine but let the punch be the star. But don't let the punch stand alone. Start your holiday party with these appetizers that pair perfectly with our festive drink of choice.