Christmas Morning Punch | Cran-Orange Cherry Brunch Punch
What’s prettier than a brightly garnished bowl of Christmas morning punch? If you’re looking to add some vibrant color to your holiday buffet, then this recipe is a must save.
Post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.
This Christmas morning brunch punch is garnished with floating slices of orange, lemon and lime, and sprinkled with fresh cranberries and mint leaves.
Made with just three beverages and a special cherry flavoring, this brunch punch delights in delicious fruity flavor.
A Brunch Punch | perfect for large gatherings
I recently made this punch for a family gathering and it was a hit! I was also so excited to finally use my pretty glass punch bowl and little punch cups I had inherited. It was such a fun and elegant serving experience for my guests.
If you don’t have a classy punch bowl, don’t worry! You can still make this punch and it will taste just the same!
But if you’re interested in getting a punch bowl and cups, I found a beautiful modern punch bowl set that could last for years to come, and eventually be passed down in your family too!
SHOP THE LOOK
I might also add, that all the garnish is hard to work around with a standard ladle. I’m speaking from experience! So, for future punch experiences I might be investing in a ladle like this one.
I found a similar option in rose gold, but I’d really like to find one in gold!
DISCLAIMER: Just because this recipe is titled Christmas Morning Punch, does not limit you to making this only on Christmas morning! It simply is a great brunch punch with assorted juices and fruits to add delightful color and flavor on Christmas morning. However, this punch is perfect for any gathering around the holidays, and it’s even refreshing in the summertime!
What is in Christmas Morning Punch?
Christmas morning punch can be made different ways depending on who you ask.
However, for this recipe I use the two most popular morning juices– orange juice and cranberry cocktail juice. Then I mix in some cherry snow-cone flavoring, and top it off with ginger ale soda.
You might be thinking, “wait back up, snow-cone flavoring?” Yes!
This is what makes this the cran-orange cherry punch. If you love the maraschino cherries, then you’ll enjoy this flavoring in your Christmas morning cherry punch. It provides a hint of decadent sweet cherries in every sip.
How to Make Christmas Morning Cran-Orange Cherry Punch
First you will want to make sure you have a large punch bowl (shop above), or a large pitcher container.
If you do not have one, you will want to half this recipe to make a smaller batch.
What is Christmas punch made of?
Ingredients For the drink
- ½ Gallon of Ice
- 3 Cups of Pulp Free Orange Juice
- 3 Cups of Cranberry Cocktail Juice
- 1 ½ Cups Cherry Snow Cone Flavoring
- 1 Liter of Ginger Ale Soda
Options For the Garnish
- 1 Orange (Sliced)
- 1 Lemon (Sliced)
- 1 Lime (Sliced)
- 2 Cups Fresh Cranberries
- 1 Small Bunch of Fresh Mint Leaves
Christmas Morning Punch Recipe INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1. Add ½ gallon of ice to the bottom of a punch bowl.
Step 2. Pour in the orange juice, cranberry juice cocktail, cherry flavoring, and stir.
Step 3. Add in the Ginger Ale Soda.
Step 4. Slice up a fresh orange, lemon and lime and place on top of the punch. Sprinkle on some fresh cranberries and mint leaves.
It is so simple, you can stick your kiddos on the task and focus your energy elsewhere. Don’t you think they’d be proud of this creation?
How to Elevate Brunch Punch
One of my favorite things to do is elevate my dishes so they are extra special. Given that this Christmas morning punch is so simple, it can be fun to play with ways to make it feel more magical.
One way to do that is simply with how you garnish the top of the punch.
For this recipe I used sliced oranges, lemons and limes, and scattered fresh cranberries and mint leaves over the top. This creates a colorful and festive display!
However, there are plenty of other ways you could garnish your brunch punch.
three ways to take your brunch punch to the next level
- Add Some Spice
Stir in a pinch of ginger or nutmeg and add some cinnamon sticks as an extra garnish. - Freeze Your Cranberries
Another way to elevate your Christmas morning punch is to freeze your fresh cranberries the day before, and then add them to the punch while still frozen. They will act as ice cubes keeping your punch nice and chilled. To do this, you will want to rinse your cranberries and spread them out on a cookie sheet to freeze, this way they won’t all stick together. (You can also skip a step and buy them straight from the freezer section!) - Mint Ice Cubes
Speaking of ice cubes, why not infuse your ice cubes with mint leaves? You will want to prep this the day before, filling your ice cube trays and placing chopped mint leaves in each compartment. This will not only give your ice a festive appearance, but will also infuse more of the mint flavor into the punch itself.
You can use your everyday basic ice cube tray, or step it up a notch with these fun shapes.
Shop Ice Cube Trays
Another way to make your Christmas morning punch even more visually appealing is to freeze your cranberry juice in these fun ice cube trays. This adds cute shapes while also cooling the punch without watering it down.
Looking for Spiked Christmas morning Punch?
While this brunch punch recipe caters to the whole family, you can certainly make a spiked version using sparkling wine. For this I would recommend Schramberg Blanc de Noirs, for a red fruit flavoring with notes of strawberry and sweet brioche.
In terms of volume, I would start by splitting the ginger ale measurement in half and then substitute the sparkling wine for the other half. You could certainly add less or more depending on taste and how strong you want it to be. But don’t go too crazy!
a tip for fizzy punch
If you’ve ever had the experience of making a fizzy punch, you know that the fizz is fickle.
Wait until you’re ready to serve before adding the sparkling wine or ginger ale. By adding this last, you’ll create more fizzy bubbles that add to the appearance.
The fizz will likely start wearing off in an hour or so after serving. However, as people sip away on the punch, you can start to add more to the punch bowl again.
HOSTING TIP
Have a pitcher of the cranberry cocktail juice, orange juice, and cherry snow-cone flavoring premixed in your refrigerator. So when you see the punch bowl go down, pour in some more followed by a fresh spritz of ginger ale or sparkling wine to bring the fizz back.
Christmas Morning Punch Printable Recipe
Snag your printable recipe to add to your recipe box here! You can also download all my other printable recipes in your members-only recipe box.
Christmas Morning Punch | Cran-Orange Brunch Punch
This Christmas morning brunch punch is garnished with floating slices of orange, lemon and lime, and sprinkled with fresh cranberries and mint leaves. Made with just three beverages and a special cherry flavoring, this brunch punch delights in delicious fruity flavor.
Ingredients
- ½ Gallon of Ice
- 3 Cups of Pulp Free Orange Juice
- 3 Cups of Cranberry Cocktail Juice
- 1 ½ Cups Cherry Snow Cone Flavoring
- 1 Liter of Ginger Ale Soda
- FOR GARNISH
- 1 Orange (Sliced)
- 1 Lemon (Sliced)
- 1 Lime (Sliced)
- 2 Cups Fresh Cranberries
- 1 Small Bunch of Fresh Mint Leaves
Instructions
- Add ½ gallon of ice to the bottom of a punch bowl.
- Pour in the orange juice, cranberry juice cocktail, cherry flavoring, and stir.
- Add in the Ginger Ale Soda.
- Slice up a fresh orange, lemon and lime and place on top of the punch. Sprinkle on some fresh cranberries and mint leaves.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 105
You’ll Also Enjoy…
I really hope you enjoy this simple, yet delicious holiday brunch punch recipe!
Do you make punch for the holidays? If so, how do you garnish yours? If you are looking for more simple recipes, check out these:
- Strawberry Basil Lemonade
- 7 Elements of an Amazing Italian Charcuterie Board
- Leftover Turkey Grilled Cheese With Lemon Basil Mayo
You can also visit my recipe archives here.
Thanks for stopping by the blog today! Make sure to subscribe to get my Grace Notes directly to your inbox and to access all my insider perks. You can also follow along daily on Instagram and weekly on YouTube!
~Sarah
Have you had any success trying this drink? I made it when I had a chance to gather with friends but I changed the recipe a bit, I added a few fruits to enhance the taste.
The cherry pie is out of this world.