Non-Alcoholic Christmas Punch

Before you start

A holiday punch should taste of the season without relying on mulled-wine sweetness. This one starts with tart cranberry juice and fresh apple cider, adds orange for brightness, and gets its warmth from a quick spiced syrup of cinnamon, clove and star anise. Sparkling water brings the fizz without adding more sugar, so the punch stays crisp enough to drink alongside rich holiday food.

The spices are steeped into syrup rather than dropped whole into the bowl, which gives you control over strength and keeps cloves out of people's cups. Frozen cranberries do double duty as ice and garnish, and a few rosemary sprigs look like tiny evergreen branches floating on top. Everything except the bubbles can be mixed a day early.

Ingredients

• Spiced syrup200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water
• 150 g (¾ cup) sugar — white or light brown
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 2 star anise pods
• 3 strips orange peel
• Punch1 liter (34 oz) 100% cranberry juice blend — chilled; not pure unsweetened cranberry
• 1 liter (34 oz) apple cider — chilled, pasteurized
• 500 ml (17 oz) orange juice — chilled
• 60 ml (2 oz) fresh lemon juice
• 750 ml (25 oz) sparkling water — chilled
• Garnish1 cup (about 100 g) cranberries, frozen
• 1 orange, sliced, and 4 to 5 rosemary sprigs

Method

1. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the cinnamon, cloves, star anise and orange peel. Simmer for 2 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and steep for 20 minutes.
3. Strain the syrup and let it cool. You should have about 300 ml of deep amber syrup that smells strongly of cinnamon.
4. In the punch bowl or pitchers, stir together the cranberry juice, apple cider, orange juice, lemon juice and 200 ml of the spiced syrup. Taste and add more syrup, 25 ml at a time, if you want it sweeter or spicier.
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
6. At serving time, add the frozen cranberries and orange slices, then pour in the sparkling water slowly. Tuck the rosemary sprigs around the edge.
7. Ladle into cups, making sure each serving gets a few cranberries.

Tips for success

• Freeze the cranberries a day ahead on a tray. They chill the punch without diluting it and look like tiny ornaments.
• Roll the rosemary sprigs between your hands before adding them; the oils make the bowl smell like a Christmas tree.
• Leftover spiced syrup is excellent in hot tea, coffee or warm cider.

Substitutions

Apple cider

Clear apple juice works but is sweeter and lighter in flavor; add 30 ml more lemon. Pear juice gives a softer, more delicate punch.

Sparkling water

Ginger ale adds sweetness and spice; cut the syrup to 120 ml. Non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice makes the bowl feel celebratory but much sweeter.

Spiced syrup

Honey simmered with the same spices makes a rounder syrup; use 200 g honey in 150 ml water, adding the honey after the spices have steeped.

Variations

Warm Christmas punch

Skip the sparkling water. Heat the base gently to steaming, about 70°C (158°F), and serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick.

Pomegranate sparkle

Replace half the cranberry juice with pomegranate juice and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Troubleshooting

The punch tastes medicinal

Too much clove. Cloves overpower quickly; next time use 4 and remove the spices promptly after the steep. For this batch, add orange juice to soften it.

It is too tart

Cranberry juice blends vary. Add spiced syrup in small amounts until the sharpness rounds out.

The cranberries sink and look dull

Fresh cranberries float; frozen ones may sink at first and rise as they thaw. A few sugared cranberries on cocktail picks across the cups make a brighter garnish.

Storage

The juice and syrup base keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Add sparkling water only when serving, and finish the bowl within about 2 hours. The spiced syrup keeps refrigerated in a sealed jar for 2 to 3 weeks.

Safety notes

Use pasteurized cider and juice for a crowd; fresh-pressed unpasteurized cider can carry harmful bacteria and is a poor choice for children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system.