This Recipe is part of SweetMama's Thanksgiving Entertaining Guide.
My friend Kalisa makes a wickedly delicious holiday punch each year that hits the perfect balance between sweet, tart, and potent with its combination of cognac, apricot brandy, and raspberry eau-de-vie - known as framboise. Start this punch the day before you plan to serve it.
Ingredients
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup pomegranate seeds, divided
3/4 cup framboise (raspberry eau-de-vie)
1/2 cup VSOP cognac
1/4 cup apricot brandy
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Homemade Sour Mix
2 bottles brut sparkling wine
Directions
1. Combine the orange juice, water, and ½ cup of the pomegranate seeds in a small ring mold or a small square plastic container with a lid. Freeze for 24 hours. Combine the framboise, cognac, apricot brandy, orange and lemon slices, and sugar in a plastic container. Let the fruit soak in the liquor overnight.
2. The day you plan to serve the punch, pour the sour mix and two bottles of sparkling wine into a large punch bowl.
3. Add the liquor-soaked fruit, syrup, and the remaining ½ cup of pomegranate seeds. Crown the punch with the orange and pomegranate ice mold, which will keep the punch cold.
Serves 12
Thought that was sweet? You’ll enjoy:
Excerpted from The Bubbly Bar by Maria C. Hunt Copyright © 2009 by Maria C. Hunt. Photographs copyright © 2009 by Maria C. Hunt. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the Book!