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 Christmas, your company holiday party, or New Year’s Eve, and get the party started!
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.
Our favorite festive cocktail tools
Shop all of our favorite kitchen tools here!
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
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.
-
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
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.
*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: Eat Love Eats
