Festive Punch Recipes to Serve at Your Next Holiday Party

The holiday season is synonymous with parties, and plenty of them. Caroling parties, office parties, cookie exchange parties, ugly sweater potlucks, white elephant gift exchanges, neighborhood open house buffets, New Year's Eve galas, and more. For most of us, there so many parties but so little time. What does every great holiday party have in common (besides indulgent appetizers and plenty of cookies)? Good cheer—especially in the form of free-flowing festive beverages. This is the domain of the punch bowl, where guests can gather round, make conversation, and serve themselves—and you don't need to play bartender.

Another great feature of holiday party punches? You can make them ahead of time! Just about every ingredient in a punch—spirits, juices, fruits, spices—can be mixed several hours ahead of time and stored in pitchers or jars in the fridge until party time. There are just a few ingredients that shouldn't be added until the punch is ready to serve. The obvious one, of course, is ice, as it will just melt and water down the drink before anyone can enjoy it. Another last-minute ingredient is anything with bubbles: sparkling wine, seltzer, and soda. Preserve maximum effervescence by waiting to pop those bottles open and add them to the punch once the first guest rings the doorbell.

Here's a bartender secret: It's best to hold back on these potent punch enhancers until serving time as well, since the flavor becomes stronger over time. For any punch that needs last-minute additions, stick a piece of masking tape on the container detailing exactly what needs to be added (e.g., add one bottle Prosecco, four dashes bitters, and an ice ring before serving) so other people can help you with last-minute prep if necessary.

When it comes to serving, remember that just because it's punch doesn't mean you have to serve it from a punch bowl. Any large vessel and a ladle can be recruited for the job: a bowl, a giant vase, or canister—get creative! (P.S., pitchers are perfect for serving punch, too). Ready to plan that party? Let's get started!