Spiced Holiday Punch
Make a batch of spiced holiday punch in under 30 minutes and fill your home with the fragrance of cozy spices.
Servings: 25
Equipment
- Saucepan Large
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon apple cider
- 6 cloves whole
- 4 Sticks cinnamon
- 4 star anise plus more to serve
- 2 Cups spiced rum or ginger beer
- ½ Cup Fireball whisky or cinnamon schnapps, optional
- ½ Cup lemon juice
- 2 apples sliced
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar coarse
- ½ Teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ Cup lime juice or orange juice, to rim the glasses
Instructions
To Make Chilled Holiday Punch:
- Pour half the cider into a pan and add the cloves, cinnamon sticks and star anise to the pot.
- Bring to a simmer over a medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes. Let it cool completely.
- Strain the spices from the apple cider and pour into a large serving bowl or pitcher.
- Add the remaining apple cider, rum, Fireball and lemon juice. Stir well.
- You can enjoy this over ice or chill until ready to serve.
- Serve in sugar-rimmed glasses.
To Make Hot Holiday Punch:
- Pour the whole gallon of apple cider into a large pan and add the spices.
- Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the rum, Fireball and lemon juice.
- Serve in sugar rimmed glasses with apple slices and spices.
To Rim the Glasses:
- Combine the brown sugar, coarse sugar and cinnamon in a wide bowl.
- Pour the lime or orange juice into a wide, shallow bowl.
- Dip the rim of the serving cups in the juice, then roll in the sugar mixture.
Notes
Serve it with a bit of theater: Light the ends of the cinnamon sticks, then blow out before serving. This releases a light, smoky flavor.
Simmer gently: Keep the heat low to avoid boiling, which can cause the flavors to turn bitter.
Adjust spices: Taste and adjust spices as needed to match your flavor preference; you can add more cloves or cinnamon sticks for extra warmth.
Cool completely: Make sure the punch cools completely before mixing alcohol to prevent dilution and flavor changes.
Mix before serving: Stir well to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Use fresh ingredients: Fresh apples and high-quality cider will enhance the overall flavor of your punch.
Simmer gently: Keep the heat low to avoid boiling, which can cause the flavors to turn bitter.
Adjust spices: Taste and adjust spices as needed to match your flavor preference; you can add more cloves or cinnamon sticks for extra warmth.
Cool completely: Make sure the punch cools completely before mixing alcohol to prevent dilution and flavor changes.
Mix before serving: Stir well to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Use fresh ingredients: Fresh apples and high-quality cider will enhance the overall flavor of your punch.
Nutrition
Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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