Recipes For Champagne Punch With White Cranberry Juice

Champagne punch made with white cranberry juice has all the taste of a fizzy, fruity punch without losing the golden color. A nice, big bowl of champagne punch requires two to three bottles of bubbly, but it's perfectly fine to use an inexpensive sparkling wine-save the expensive capital "C" French champagne for drinking by itself, not mixing.

Here's what you need for your basic white cranberry juice champagne punch:

• 2 750 ml bottles of domestic sparkling wine
• 1 64 oz bottle of white cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups club soda
• 1/4 cup simple syrup or superfine sugar

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except simple syrup/sugar in a large punch bowl. Stir gently; you don't want to beat the carbonation out of it.
2. Spoon a small amount of punch into a cup and taste. If it needs more sweetness, gradually add syrup or sugar to taste. Always spoon punch into a cup to taste-don't sip from the stirring spoon.
3. Add a ring of ice (see below), if desired, and thin slices of lemon.
   

To make an ice ring:

• Pour water or white cranberry juice into a ring mold (a Bundt cake-type pan works well). Add pieces of fruit, if desired. Freeze until solid.

Variations:

• White sangria-champange punch: Omit the club soda and add add 1 cup of orange juice and 1 cup of peach juice. Add slices of orange, peach, and star fruit.
• Mint champagne  with white cranberry punch: Add 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves in Step 1.
• Green or blue champagne with white cranberry punch: add a teaspoon of green or blue unsweetened powdered soft drink mix in Step 1.

Resource:

winepros.org: Sparkling Wines