Memorial Day weekend is a time for remembrance and for gathering with friends and family to celebrate the start to the summer season. Large-format cocktails such as punches and sangrias are perfect for refreshing a crowd; here are a few to try.
Midsummer Punch
(Shown above, yields 25 drinks)
750 ml. Zacapa Rum 23
1 ¼ cup Ginger liqueur
1 quart Hibiscus tea
6 cups Fresh guava juice
1 ¼ cups Fresh lemon juice
1 ¼ cups Fresh pineapple juice
¼ cup Sugar
3 Lemons, muddled
1 Star fruit for garnish
Cut the peels of 3 lemons into a ½-in, wide spiral with a vegetable peeler. Muddle the lemon peels and sugar together in a punch bowl and let sit for 90 minutes. Muddle lemon and sugar again, and stir in fresh lemon juice. Add rum, ginger liqueur, hibiscus tea, fresh guava juice and fresh pineapple juice into punch bowl and stir well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Before serving, cut star fruit into 1/4 inch slices.
The mixologists at Zacapa Rum created this recipe.
Silver Sangria
8 oz. Nolet’s Silver dry gin
750 ml. Dry white wine
4 oz. White grape juice
4 oz. Sugar
4 oz. Sliced seedless grapes
1 Sliced apple (green or red)
16 oz. Ginger ale or club soda
In a pitcher, dissolve sugar in white wine, gin and grape juice. Add grapes and apple slices and chill overnight. Add ice and top with ginger ale or club soda prior to serving.
The mixologists at Nolet’s created this recipe.
Spiced Blueberry Punch
(serves 4-5)
4 parts Basil Hayden’s bourbon
8 parts Blueberry juice
8 parts Passion fruit juice
Sparkling wine or club soda
15-20 Fresh mint leaves
1 bag Frozen blueberries, for ice ring
Add bourbon, blueberry juice, passion fruit juice and mint leaves to a medium sized punch bowl and stir. Add blueberry ice ring (see directions below). Serve in a cocktail glass and top with club soda or sparkling wine.
*For blueberry ice ring
Freeze one bag of frozen blueberries with water in a Bundt cake pan.
Dip frozen ring into hot water for a few seconds to unmold.
Place in punch bowl with blueberry side up.
Louisville, KY-based mixologist Debbi Peek created this recipe.
Harlemese Sangria
1 ½ parts St. Germain elderflower liqueur
4 parts Reisling
Soda water
Strawberries, blueberries, lemon and orange slices
Fresh mint
In an ice-filled wine glass (or punch bowl), add strawberries, blueberries, mint lemon and orange. Pour St. Germain and reisling and top with soda water.
The mixologists at McCoy’s Oceanfront at Fort Lauderdale Marriott Pompano Beach Resort & Spa created this recipe.
Not Just Any Punch
1 part Hornitos Reposado tequila
½ part Cranberry juice
⅓ part Lime juice
½ part Simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Lime peels for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a punch bowl (or in shaker with ice, shake vigorously and strain over fresh ice). Garnish with a lime peel.
The mixologists at Hornitos created this recipe.
Scottish Red Sangria
4 parts Drambuie
1 Bottle of red wine (such as zinfandel)
5 parts Ginger ale
3 parts Orange juice
½ Lemon, thinly sliced
½ Lime, thinly sliced
½ Apple, cored and thinly sliced
Mix the Drambuie, wine, ginger ale and orange juice in a short glass or pitcher. Serve in a glass and garnish with mixed fruit.
Scottish White Sangria
½ part Drambuie
1 part White wine
1 part Lemonade
Pour all ingredients into a large wine glass (or punch bowl) with ice. Stir gently and garnish with mixed fruit.
The mixologists at Drambuie created these two recipes.
