Pomegranate Cranberry Punch

If you need a crowd-pleasing beverage for your next party, try this recipe for Pomegranate Cranberry Punch. This deliciously sparkly and festive holiday punch is super easy to make (and drink)! Alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions are included!

I love this champagne punch recipe because you only need a few ingredients, it only takes a few minutes to put together, and it looks really beautiful and festive! It's a little bit tart, a little bit sweet, and really refreshing.

This punch would be perfect for Christmas, New Year's Eve, or any fall or winter get-together. Plus, I've included instructions on how to make a non-alcoholic version, so everyone can enjoy this delicious drink!

Pomegranate Cranberry Punch Ingredients

As I mentioned, you only need a few simple ingredients to make this punch:

• Pomegranate juice: I used the POM Wonderful brand of pomegranate juice. This is 100% pomegranate juice and available in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Of course feel free to use any brand you like, but I recommend using a 100% pomegranate juice rather than a "juice cocktail" so the pomegranate flavor really comes through.

• Cranberry juice cocktail: here, I actually did use the "cocktail" version, which is cranberry juice mixed with water and sugar. You can find 100% cranberry juice in the store, but I don't recommend that for this recipe. It would be way, way too sour! Alternatively, you could use a cranberry juice blend. This is cranberry juice mixed with other types of sweeter juices like grape. In my opinion, these blends taste a little less tart than the cranberry juice cocktail. So this could be a good alternative if you prefer a punch with a little less..."punch"! (Sorry I couldn't help myself!)

• Garnishes: to garnish, I used slices of lemon and pomegranate seeds. Garnishing is optional but certainly festive! Feel free to use whatever garnishes you like. Orange slices would also look nice, or even mint leaves.

For the Alcoholic Pomegranate Cranberry Punch:

If you are making the alcoholic version of this punch, you will also need:

• Champagne or sparkling wine: I'm not a very fancy person so I usually just use an affordable sparkling wine. And you don't really want to use an expensive version anyways since you are mixing it with other ingredients. I like using a Brut, which means the sparkling wine is on the dry side, but not super-duper dry (just right in my opinion!). But, as I mentioned, this punch is a bit on the tart side. If you want a sweeter punch, try using a sweeter sparkling wine!

• Orange liqueur: there are a few different types of orange liqueur. I used Triple Sec because that's what I had on hand. There is only ¼ cup in the overall recipe, so you can use whatever orange liqueur you have or like without worrying it will drastically change the profile of the whole punch. Or, if you want to go wild, use vodka instead! (And of course, if you are making the non-alcoholic version, leave this ingredient out all together.)

For the Non-Alcoholic Version:

• Flavored sparkling water and/or sparkling cider: this is to replace the wine if you are making the non-alcoholic version. You can use all sparkling water if you want a less sweet punch, or all cider for a sweeter punch. Or half and half for somewhere in between, the choice is yours! In my opinion, using half and half tasted the most like the original version and was my favorite. If you are using flavored sparkling water, orange, lime, or cranberry are nice choices.

Tips on Making Punch for a Party

Here are a few helpful tips to make this Pomegranate Cranberry Punch the hit of your next party:

• Make sure your ingredients are super chilled. You want the champagne (or sparkling water!) and juices ice-cold before mixing together. This will keep the punch nice and refreshing for as long as possible during the party.
• Make the punch right before you are ready to serve. This will also help everything stay cold for longer, and will also ensure the punch keeps its delightful bubbles for as long as possible.
• To ice or not to ice? I like serving this punch over ice, but I prefer to place the ice in the cup and pour the punch over top, rather than adding ice directly to the punch. This way, the punch won't get watered down over the course of the party.
• This recipe makes enough for about 8 servings, or a little over 6 cups in total volume, not counting any garnishes. This amount is perfect for most regular-sized pitchers. So, if you want to fill a large, festive punch bowl instead, make a double batch!
• But, are you worried the punch will lose its sparkle before it can all be consumed? Rather than using a double batch in a punch bowl, just mix up a single batch in a pitcher. Keep ingredients on hand for a second batch. When the first pitcher is gone, just mix up a second batch real quick. This way the carbonation will stay fresher than if you made a double batch at the beginning of the evening.

I hope this Pomegranate Cranberry Punch brings some merriment to your New Year's celebration. If you need another great champagne cocktail recipe, check out my recipe for Strawberry Honey Lime Mimosas!

If you’ve tried this recipe for Pomegranate Cranberry Punch, please let me know what you thought about it in the comments down below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious recipes from Nibble and Dine!

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