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Thanksgiving Punch

Thanksgiving Punch is a ruby cranberry and cider drink made by mixing chilled juices and finishing with ginger ale for gentle sparkle. Float orange slices with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs, then serve over ice from a punch bowl.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Drink
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cranberry juice cocktail
  • 4 cup cranberry juice cocktail Chilled
apple cider
  • 2 cup apple cider Chilled
orange juice
  • 1 cup orange juice
fresh lime juice
  • 0.25 cup fresh lime juice
ginger ale or sparkling water
  • 1 L ginger ale or sparkling water Chilled
orange
  • 1 orange Thinly sliced
fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
fresh rosemary
  • 4 fresh rosemary Sprigs
ice
  • 1 ice

Method
 

Mix the base
  1. Add cranberry juice cocktail, apple cider, orange juice, and fresh lime juice to a punch bowl and stir to combine. The mixture should look uniformly ruby and orange-toned, with no visible streaks.
Chill until ready to serve
  1. Cover and chill the punch until ready to serve. Keep it cold so it stays crisp and the flavors feel balanced when served.
Add floating garnishes
  1. Add thin orange slices, fresh cranberries, and rosemary sprigs to the punch bowl. You should see ruby cranberries and orange slices floating on top with rosemary peeking through.
Finish with sparkle and serve
  1. Pour in ginger ale or sparkling water just before serving. The liquid should immediately lighten and fizz slightly around the edges.
  2. Add ice to the punch bowl, then ladle into glasses. Each glass should be filled with ice plus visible cranberries and orange slices.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the ginger ale/sparkling water separate until the last minute so the carbonation stays lively. Store the mixed (non-sparkling) punch base in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and add ginger ale right before serving; freeze not recommended. For a lighter option, swap part or all of the cranberry juice cocktail for unsweetened cranberry juice and adjust sweetness to taste.