Thanksgiving is over but the holidays are still here, baby! We’re almost halfway through December already and it’s time to add a fun, festive cocktail to your menu for any/all holidays you’ll be celebrating this month (including my birthday, of course).
My favorite naughty & nice holiday punch is bright, bubbly and so pretty poured into cocktail glasses. It’s filled with super simple ingredients AKA no crazy bitters or syrups but has the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor.
Make a big batch for Christmas, your company holiday party, a holiday brunch, or New Year’s Eve, and get the party started!
Ingredients in the best holiday punch
This easy Christmas punch recipe has just 5 core ingredients. The result is light, fresh and so delicious. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cranberry juice: the base of the punch is made with cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail) which gives it plenty of sweetness and a festive red color. Many holiday punch recipes call for a few different juices like orange juice, pineapple juice, etc. but I love the simplicity of sticking with cranberry juice.
- Prosecco: bubbles, please! You’ll add a bottle of prosecco to give the punch its sparkle and more flavor.
- Vodka: for a little extra “naughty” in this naughty & nice punch! I’m not a huge fan of cocktails with darker liquors like whiskey or brandy — the vodka keeps this one light and refreshing.
- Hard seltzer: I added extra bubbles and flavor by mixing in hard seltzer as well! A lot of recipes call for ginger ale, Sprite, or a different type of lemon-lime soda, but I like the combo of prosecco and a hard seltzer. You can, of course, use non-alcoholic seltzer as well.
- Lime juice: you’ll want to juice a full lime into the punch for a little tartness.
- Fruit: I love adding frozen or fresh cranberries and orange slices to the bowl for garnish.
- For serving: what’s a holiday punch without pretty glasses? Use lime wedges to coat the rim, then add granulated sugar and fresh rosemary sprigs to each glass.
Customize your punch
There are plenty of ways to customize this fun holiday punch depending on your (and your guests) preferences:
- Choose your juice. I think a pomegranate cranberry juice would also be delicious in this punch. A regular juice brand like Ocean Spray is perfect.
- Pick a seltzer. I used Spindrift Spiked Seltzer in the pineapple flavor, but feel free to use any flavor of hard seltzer that you like. Lime, pineapple, or a berry flavor would be great.
- Add more “party.” Feel free to use up to 1 cup of vodka, or reduce it to 1/2 cup depending on how strong you want the punch.
Can I make it a mocktail?
Absolutely! Feel free to omit the vodka and swap the prosecco for your favorite non-alcoholic seltzer.
Perfect holiday punch in 3 simple steps
- Mix up the punch. Add all of the ingredients (except the garnishes) to a large punch bowl or large drink dispenser and mix well to combine.
- Prep your glasses. Rim your serving glasses with a lime wedge so that they’re coated, then dip them in sugar to fully coat.
- Pour & serve. Add ice cubes to each glass if needed, and ladle in the punch. Garnish each glass with a fresh rosemary sprig and serve!
Should I add ice?
Instead of adding ice, I recommend chilling all of the ingredients ahead of time so that the ice doesn’t water down the punch as it melts. The frozen cranberries will also help to keep the punch cold! If you’re in a pinch, feel free to add some ice to the punch bowl.
Our favorite festive cocktail tools
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Store the holiday punch for later
If you happen to have some punch left over, you can store it right in the refrigerator. Simply pour it into airtight jars or containers for up to 3 days.
More cocktail recipes
- Rebecca’s Mulled Wine
- Grapefruit Margarita
- Apple Cider Hot Toddy
- Rebecca’s Pomegranate Margarita
- Spiked Cherry Limeade
Get all of our cocktail recipes here and holiday appetizers here!
I hope you love this fun naughty & nice holiday punch! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Monique's Naughty & Nice Holiday Punch
Ingredients
- 6 cups cranberry juice or pomegranate cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail), chilled
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle Prosecco, chilled
- ¾ cup vodka, chilled*
- 3 (12 oz) cans hard seltzer (I used Spindrift Spiked Seltzer pineapple flavor) chilled*
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 cups frozen cranberries
- 1-2 oranges, thinly sliced
- For serving:
- 1-2 limes, to coat the rim
- Granulated sugar for coating rim
- Fresh rosemary sprigs, for serving
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large punch bowl and stir together until well combined. Feel free to add ice if you need to, but we recommend having all ingredients chilled beforehand. The frozen cranberries will also help to keep the punch cold.
- Rim serving glasses with lime and then dip into sugar to fully coat. Add ice if desired and ladle punch into glasses. Enjoy! Serves 8-12.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on November 30th, 2021, and republished on December 13th, 2023.
Can this recipe be reduced for a smaller group?
Hi! Yes, absolutely, it’s easy to divide it into thirds 🙂
Yeah, recipie is fantastic. I tried myslef. The way you organised ingredient is good.
Make this for your next holiday party! When I say this was a hit at my party I am not exaggerating. Everyone was blown away with this delicious drink. Soo refreshing and good and pairs so well with the Rosemary garnish!
Yaaaaay I’m so happy the whole party loved it!!
I just got this recipe from my daughter. She made it for a family holiday gathering last night and it was a great hit!
The PERFECT Christmas Eve cocktail!! Huge hit, used a cranberry/pomegranate juice mix and a little more vodka than called for. So pretty and festive.
Omg, so delicious! Light and tasty, just how I like it! A wonderful drink for Christmas Eve and day!
Made this exactly as described for a ladies holiday gathering and it was an absolute hit! Convenient for serving a small crowd while mingling with other guests, presents beautifully, and offers fun and refreshing flavors (esp. since it happened to be unseasonably warm the evening of the party haha). Highly recommend!
Awesome!! So glad to hear everyone loved it. Thanks, Christine!
This looks so yummy, thank you for this recipe. I am gonna make it will share how well I made it . 🙂
Enjoy!
Hi Monique! I want to make this to bring to my moms for Christmas Eve, I live in Montreal and we don’t have spindrift- any recommendations? Can it just be bubbly seltzer? Thx !! I’ll report back!
Hi! Yes feel free to use any bubbly seltzer you’d like!
Best Christmas punch! Came back to this recipe after it was such a hit last year. Made it as written with all the garnishes for a party and everyone loved it! It’s now my go-to for holiday parties.
Love that! So glad it was a hit!
When you say not cranberry Juice Cocktail (which is the Ocean Spray standard at my store), do you mean unsweetened pure cranberry juice? Or can it have sugar in it? Thank you! Making this weekend so want to get it right.
I typically use pure cranberry juice because the rest of the ingredients add more sweetness to the cocktail! Pure cranberry juice still has natural sugar from the fruit itself, but if you prefer a sweeter cocktail, feel free to use one with more sugar in it.
Any suggestions for how to make this for 1 individual? My brain is not braining and I can’t seem to figure out the ratio for each ingredient!
Hi! For 2 servings (feel free to keep half in the fridge) I’d suggest 1.5 cups cranberry juice, 1/4 bottle of prosecco (or one of those mini, 187ML one), 1 shot of vodka, and a little less than 1 can of seltzer 🙂