Thanksgiving is over but the holidays are still here, baby! With December coming in real hot 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 new 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 Thanksgiving, Christmas, your company holiday party, or New Year’s Eve, and get the party started!
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Ingredients in the best holiday punch
This holiday punch recipe couldn’t be easier to make and 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.
- 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!
- Lime juice: you’ll want to juice a full lime into the punch for a little tartness.
- Fruit: I love adding frozen 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.
Perfect holiday punch in 3 simple steps
- Mix up the punch. Add all of the ingredients (except the garnishes) to a large punch bowl 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 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 having all of the ingredients chilled 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.
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Store the holiday punch for later
If you happen to have some punch leftover, you can actually store it right in the refrigerator. Simply pour it into airtight jars or containers for up to 3 days.
More recipes for holiday gatherings
- Rebecca’s Mulled Wine
- St. Nick’s Drop It Like It’s Hot Party Nuts
- White Cheddar Brussels Sprouts & Pistachio Crostini with Hot Honey
- Bacon Wrapped Dark Chocolate & Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates
- Scallion Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms
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!
Monique's Naughty & Nice Holiday Punch
My favorite naughty & nice holiday punch made with cranberry juice, bubbly prosecco and seltzer, vodka and fresh lime juice. This easy sparkling holiday punch is the perfect cocktail for Christmas parties and New Year's Eve! Enjoy it in sugar-rimmed glasses for a fun, fancy twist.
Ingredients
- 6 cups cranberry juice or pomegranate cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail), chilled
- 1 (750 milliliter) bottle Prosecco, chilled
- 3/4 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
*Feel free to use a different hard seltzer flavor of your choice.
Use something like Ocean Spray for the cranberry juice.
If you want a stronger drink, feel free to add up to 1 cup vodka. If you want a less strong drink, feel free to use ½ cup vodka.
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Â Eat Love Eats
14 comments
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!