Liven Up Your Spring Party with a Festive Punch

By Deborah Lambeth

You've nailed down the decorations, time, place, event, and even the food you're going to serve…but what are you going to drink? It can be pretty easy sometimes, depending on the time of the year. When it’s cold outside, guests will warm up fast with mulled cider or hot cocoa. In the dog days of summer, sometimes a cooler stacked with frosty six-packs is all it takes to cool off. And in the spring, when people are just beginning to thaw out from winter’s chill, you need something special to offer your party guests.

Parties in the spring usually involve fresh fruits and vegetables, light dips and cheeses, and other foods that are best complimented by a light punch. Different kinds of juices and mixers can be blended to make the perfect concoction to complement your party fare. Below are some "cool" recipes to enhance your spring party.

RASPBERRY PUNCH
1 container of raspberry sherbet
1 carton of strawberry ice cream
2 bottles of 7-Up (you can use Ginger Ale or Sprite)

Allow the ice cream and sherbet to come to room temperature. Put into a punch bowl and, using a large spoon or whisk, mix with the 7-Up. Blend gently to avoid foaming. Add fresh raspberries to each individual serving. This recipe serves approximately 15 people.

APPLE SPRITZERS
1 gallon apple juice
Cinnamon Sticks
1 liter of ginger ale

Heat the apple juice and cinnamon sticks in a large stew pot the night before your party to marinate. Let the juice cool, then put it in the refrigerator overnight. The day of your party, pour the juice in punch bowl and add ginger ale. Serves approximately 20-25 people.

While you’re waiting for the weather to warm up for your spring party, you might as well throw a farewell party to winter. Parties in the winter can be festive as well. You can create different kinds of hot chocolate just by adding a peppermint stick, marshmallows, toffee chips, whipped cream, etc. Guests can enjoy different types of coffees as well. Providing different kinds of coffee additives (for example, hazelnut syrup or chocolate syrup), iced coffee spoons, or coffee bean cordials can add a unique touch to just serving plain coffee! Seasonal fruit punches can add a beautiful touch to your table as well.

COFFEE "PUNCH"
6 cups hot brewed coffee
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups coffee-flavored liqueur
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 quart coffee ice cream
Shaved semisweet chocolate for garnishing

Combine coffee, milk, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Chill thoroughly. Pour into a punch bowl, stirring gently. Scoop the ice creams into the bowl and stir to blend.
Garnish with shaved chocolate, if desired.
Makes 4 1/2 quarts.

DELICIOUS VIENNESE COFFEE
1 pot of prepared Viennese Coffee (prepackaged by International Coffees)
Dove chocolate ice cream topping
Orange flavoring
Whipped cream
Shavings from high-quality chocolate (Ghirardelli, etc.)

Make coffee according to directions. Place 2 Tbsp. of Dove chocolate topping and 1/2 tsp. of orange flavoring in each mug. Fill each mug with hot coffee and stir well. Just before serving, top each cup with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate shavings.

CRANBERRY ORANGE PUNCH
1 bottle of cranberry juice
1 orange, washed and thinly sliced, with seeds removed
1 cinnamon stick

Heat cranberry juice with orange slices and cinnamon stick. Marinate for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

These are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to varieties of punch; there are literally hundreds of recipe sites where you can find thousands of drink recipes to use to make your affair one to remember. Enjoy, and bottoms up!