GINGERBREAD PUNCH
rum, rum, rum as fast as you can!
SWEET TEETH
Happy Christmas Eve Eve! If your house is anything like mine, you’ve all slipped into full-blown holiday psychosis prepping for the next two days. I lost my head last week and still have yet to find it. Perhaps it found its way into a box under the tree, and I’ll get it back in 48 hours.
In the meantime, I wanted to send out one final recipe that would be perfect for a big party, or a cozy night watching holiday movies in the light of the Christmas tree. This one is a punch, inspired by the flavors of gingerbread. It’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s bright, and it’s a little funky thanks to molasses and pot still black rum. You could also leave the rum out if you want something without any alcohol to fuel your festivities (if I were one of the wise men, I’d toss out the frankincense and pick up a bottle of NA spirit).
My favorite part of the punch is the little garnishes cut out of a slice of apple using a cookie cutter. If you don’t want to make the whole batch, at least get a little gingerbread man apple decoration into whatever it is you are sipping on!
I’ll be back after the holidays, so I hope everyone has a gorgeous next week of eating!
Thank you all for a truly wonderful year here on the blog! I can’t wait to show you what I have planned for 2026!
THE RECIPE
GINGERBREAD PUNCH
makes one perfectly sized party punchbowl
Ingredients:
For the gingerbread syrup:
5-inch piece (~40g) fresh ginger, chopped into large pieces
1/2 tsp (~1g) whole cloves
1 tsp (~2g) whole allspice berries
1 tsp (~2g) black peppercorns, lightly crushed
2 tsp (~4g) cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 (~2g) star anise pods
3 (~6g) cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup (84g) molasses
3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar
2 cups (484g) water
For serving:
1 cup (244g) lemon juice, from about ~5 large lemons
1 cup (248g) orange juice (fresh is best) from about ~3 medium oranges
1 cup (242g) good quality apple cider*
750 ml (3 1/4 cups/708g) pot still Jamaican black rum, optional
2 liter (2,040g) bottle of unflavored seltzer/soda water
1 whole orange, sliced into rounds, for garnish
1 whole lemon, sliced into rounds, for garnish
A few star anise pods, for garnish
1 whole apple, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds, for garnish
Directions:
Make your syrup: In a large saucepan, combine your ginger, spices, sugar, molasses, and water. Heat over medium, swirling the pan to help the sugar dissolve. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, let it cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes. Pull off the heat, and set aside to further infuse for an additional 15 minutes. Strain into a heatproof container, cover, and place the syrup to cool in the fridge for at least half an hour.
Build your punch: In your punch bowl/pot/pitcher/giant tupperware/whatever you are using, combine your chilled syrup, citrus juices, apple cider, and rum, if using, and stir until completely combined. Pour in your 2-liter bottle of seltzer and give one final stir to combine.
Garnish & serve: Gently place your orange and lemon rounds on top of the liquid so they float. Gently, the star anise pods over the citrus. Finally, using a small cookie cutter, cut little shapes out of your apple slices and float them in the punch. Enjoy!
Notes:
*Ideally, you want to use a cider with no additional ingredients beyond apples.