So, here it is, the Friday before Halloween, guests are due at some point over the course of the weekend and you’re still not exactly sure what beverage to serve them.

Oh, sure, there’s the usual soda and stuff, but maybe you want something a little more festive. Still, there will be kids or others who don’t drink alcohol, and you don’t want to leave them out. But you also don’t want to have to monitor two beverage stations over the course of a night, either!

Is there an easy solution to this dilemma? Absolutely.

Punch to the Rescue!

Early punches contained 5 ingredients–some sort of alcohol, sugar, juiced lemons, water and tea or spices–and gets it’s name from the Hindi word pañc, which means five. Has nothing to do with boxing or being so strong it knocks you on your ass. A little bit of trivia for you, there.

These days, punch can be as simple as a couple of fruit juices and a 2-liter of clear(ish) soda. Add some sherbet in a complementary color of flavor and you’ve got plenty of festive going on.

For example, for 2007’s BYOP I served the delightfully-named Vampire Punch (with Clots!). Yes, there is a raspberry sherbet “brain” bobbing around in there and the clots? They’re a package of frozen strawberries, partially thawed and stirred into the punch. Effectively gross and very tasty.

And the punch bowl? It’s a cake dome and stand! You flip the platter over and the dome settles into the stand, making a  serving bowl. It’s perfect for a medium-sized punch bowl (just add a ladle). I love items that can pull double duty without taking up more space than necessary in my kitchen!

But What About the Adults?

Not that all adults drink alcohol, but for those who do, here’s that simple solution I promised you.

Start with a basic punch base that can then be combined on a per-drink basis with the alcohol of your choice.

See, I told you it was simple.

The only sticky part is which liquor to use with the punch? But I’ve got you covered, there, too!

If Your Punch Flavor is Mostly…	Think This…	…and Use That!
Berry Juices (Cranberry, Blueberry, etc.)	Gin & Cranberry or a Fruity Martini	Gin or Vodka
Tree Fruits (Apple, Pear,  etc.)	Mulled Cider	Spiced Rum or Brandy
Citrus Juice (orange, lemon, lime, etc.)	Mimosas or Margaritas	Sparkling Wine or Tequila

Pineapple juice is the wild-card, of course. A pineapple-based punch could go the tropical route withe Spiced Rum but it so often hangs out with the Citrus family that Tequila wouldn’t go amiss, there, either. Use your best judgment on that one.

This Year’s Punch

For tomorrow’s party, my inspiration comes in part from the aforementioned Vampire Punch as well as the amazing Blueberry-Pomegranate Martinis we had at the Chef’s Sampler last year. Though the latter, we figured later, was probably made from a mix, we were able to recreate it after several trials (more about that in the next series, by the way).

So, tomorrow I’ll be mixing up a dispenser full of cran-pomegranate juice (much cheaper than straight pom, and when you’re serving a crown that’s important!) and blueberry juices and topping it off with ginger ale (club soda or your preferred clear soda would also do just fine, I just like the zing of ginger in there). We’re calling it Blue Blood Punch.

For those that want, I’ll be happy to put some in a shaker with ice and a shot of vanilla vodka and serve them a Blue Blood Martini for their troubles.

~~~oOo~~~

Have a Happy–and SAFE!–Halloween, folks! As always, drink responsibly and use a designated driver: we want you around for next year!