Christmas Fruit Punch
Christmas fruit punch is a large, chilled drink based on dry white wine with macerated berries and pieces of seasonal fruit, set in the center of the holiday table for guests to help themselves. Finely chopped cantaloupe, kiwi, apricots, and forest berries do more than flavor the wine: they turn the bowl into a vivid composition from which guests fish out fruit with a skewer.
This presentation comes from the Scandinavian and Central European tradition of the buffet (smorgasbord) table, where drinks and snacks have to stand for a long time and stay appealing to a large group. A cold wine punch is convenient precisely because it is made ahead: while it sits in the refrigerator, the berries release their juice and saturate the base, and the sparkling wine is topped up at the last moment to keep the bubbles.
Tip: Add sugar carefully. The sweetness depends on how ripe the apricots and berries are; it is better to slightly under-sweeten, since sparkling wine also adds a rounded flavor.
- Apricots out of season are easily replaced with dried apricots, soaked beforehand for 20 to 30 minutes to soften.
- Bruise the mint rather than tearing it into small pieces: this releases the essential oils, but the drink will not turn bitter from crushed stems.
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace the wine with cherry juice or ginger ale, and the sparkling wine with sparkling water or cider.
- Pour in the sparkling wine just before serving. If added earlier, the gas escapes and the bubbly effect disappears.
Serve in a wide, bellied bowl with a ladle, and give each glass a skewer for the fruit pieces. The finished base without the sparkling wine can be kept in the refrigerator for several hours; add the bubbly component only to the portion being drunk right away.
Part of European cuisine — 67 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Wash the fruit and berries, remove the stems and hulls, cut into small pieces, and place in a punch bowl.
Sprinkle with a little sugar and let stand for a while so the berries release their juice.
Pull the leaves off the mint sprigs, lightly bruise them, and add to the fruit.
Pour the white wine into the bowl and refrigerate so the punch chills.
Just before serving, add the sparkling wine.
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