Punch Up Summer Parties With Sweet Drinks

Weddings, showers, retirement parties, family and class reunions, company picnics, backyard barbecues … numerous occasions, especially during the summer, call for a bowl or jug of punch.

The appropriate concoction may be a simple lemonade, a sticky-sweet, sherbet-flavored blend or a champagne-spiked mixture, depending on the occasion and accompanying foods. One gallon of beverage fills an ordinary punch bowl and provides 16 8-ounce servings, 22 6-ounce servings or 32 4-ounce (punch cup) servings.

The following collection of recipes offers a range to coordinate with any summer event.

Picnic Punch

2 cups boiling water

8 teaspoons or bags of tea (black, orange blossom or jasmine)

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 cup lemon juice

5 cups orange or apple juice

2 quarts iced water, ginger ale or sparkling water

Orange and lemon slices for garnish

Pour boiling water over tea; cover and let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags or leaves; stir in sugar until dissolved. Cool.

Combine cooled, sweetened tea with remaining ingredients; chill. (If serving over ice, reduce water.) Consider serving this punch in a scooped-out watermelon shell.

Yield: 1 gallon.

Red Patriotic Punch

2 (12-ounce) cans frozen fruit punch, thawed 2 packages raspberry- or strawberry-flavored powdered drink mix

2 cups sugar

2 cups lemon juice

3 quarts water

Crushed ice

1 (2-liter) bottle lemon-lime soda

Combine fruit punch concentrate, powdered drink mix, sugar, lemon juice, and water; stir to blend. Pour over crushed ice in punch bowl. Just before serving, stir in lemon-lime soda.

Yield: 1-1/2 gallons.

Rhubarb Lemonade Punch

4 (12-ounce) packages frozen rhubarb, partially thawed

1/2 to 1 cup sugar

1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate

6 cups water

1 (32-ounce) bottle carbonated lemon-lime beverage, chilled

Place rhubarb in blender container, 1 package at a time; blend until smooth. Pour into saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes; let cool. Strain to remove pulp.

Combine rhubarb juice, sugar, lemonade concentrate and water; mix well. Pour over ice cubes or garnished ice ring in punch bowl. Pour lemon-lime carbonated beverage carefully into bowl just before serving.

Yield: About 1 gallon.

Wedding Punch

4-1/2 quarts fresh orange juice or 3 (12-ounce) cans frozen orange juice concentrate, reconstituted

3 (750-milliliter) bottles champagne

2 quarts ice cubes

Orange slices

Chill orange juice and champagne well. Combine in punch bowl just before serving. Add ice; garnish with orange slices.

Yield: About 60 (1/2-cup) servings.

Citrus Wine Punch

1-2/3 cups sugar

2 oranges, unpeeled, cut into half-cartwheel slices (see directions below)

2 cups boiling water

4 tea bags

1/2 teaspoon bitters

2 (750-milliliter) bottles rhine or other dry white wine, chilled

4 cups orange juice (juice of 12 oranges), chilled

3 cups lemon juice (juice of 18 lemons), chilled

1/2 cup apricot-flavored brandy

Ice cubes

To prepare half-cartwheel slices, cut oranges in half lengthwise. Place each half cut-side down; cut into thin slices. Place slices in a bowl and sprinkle with 2/3 cup of the sugar; let stand 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, pour boiling water over tea bags; steep 5 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags. Add bitters and remaining 1 cup sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Chill.

To serve, combine sweetened orange slices, tea mixture, wine, orange and lemon juices, brandy and ice cubes. Stir to blend.

Yield: 1 gallon (16 cups).

Non-Alcoholic Variation: Omit wine and brandy. Substitute 1 (2-liter) bottle chilled lemon-lime flavored soda and 2 cups chilled cranberry juice cocktail. Stir to blend.

Yield: 21 cups.

Pastel Sherbet Cream Punch

2-1/2 cups pineapple juice, chilled

1 pint lime, lemon or raspberry sherbet

1 pint vanilla ice cream

12-ounce bottle sparkling water, chilled

Combine pineapple juice, sherbet, and half the ice cream; beat until smooth. Add sparkling water. Spoon remaining ice cream into punch; serve immediately.

Yield: 14 (1/2-cup) servings.

Gingered Citrus Party Punch

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup crystallized ginger, cut into thin strips

2 strips (3 inches) fresh lemon peel (removed with vegetable peeler)

3 cups cold water

1-1/2 cups orange juice (juice of 4 or 5 oranges)

1-1/4 cups lemon juice (juice or 7 or 8 lemons)

Ice cubes

1/2 each orange and lemon, unpeeled, cut into half-cartwheel slices (see directions in Citrus Wine Punch recipe above)

Strawberry slices or quarters

Fresh mint leaves, optional

In saucepan, bring 1 cup water, sugar, ginger and lemon peel to boil. Reduce heat and briskly simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and discard lemon peel. Add 3 cups cold water, orange and lemon juices. Chill several hours or overnight in covered container.

Serve in punch cups over ice cubes with orange, lemon and strawberry slices in each serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, if desired.

Yield: About 7 cups (11 5-ounce servings).

, DataTimes MEMO: Have a food question? Looking for a recipe? Laura Carnie, a certified family and consumer scientist and food consultant in Coeur d’Alene, would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. As many letters as possible will be answered in the newspaper; sorry, no individual replies.

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