Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2016!
My favorite part about New Year’s Eve is that it is an opportunity to dress up, meet up with all my friends, and sip Champagne. While I love a classic flute filled with golden bubbles, a big holiday party calls for something a bit more festive.
And nothing is more festive than Pom Punch! What I love about this punch is that it is perfect for a crowd, all the components can be prepped ahead and quickly assembled right before party time, and that it is the perfect shade of ruby red!
What I also love about this drink is that it is garnished with one of my favorite seasonal fruits – pomegranate. These seeds (or, as they are actually called, arils) are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins C and K, folate, potassium, and copper, so they not only a delicious garnish but they are good for you too!
So basically, you should head out to the store right now, buy all the ingredients, and make this for your NYE party tonight. (seriously!)
This is how you make it!
The garnish of this punch is fresh pomegranate seeds (or arils), which is an ingredient that many people haven’t worked with before.
This is a fresh pomegranate – looks a little funky, right? To pick out a perfect pomegranate, look for a ruby red color, smooth and unblemished skin, and one that is heavy for its size.
Removing the seeds from a pomegranate can be slightly messy, but I have found one foolproof method that has minimal mess (but you should still wear clothes you don’t care about – pomegranate juice stains!).
Using a sharp knife, cut the pomegranate in half.
Then submerge the pomegranate half in a large bowl filled with water and gently remove the seeds with your hands. The white membrane will float to the top to be strained off and the seeds will sink to the bottom! Easy as pie.
Then you have a bunch of pomegranate seeds, perfect for cereal, yogurt, salads, or for the garnish in the Pom Punch!
Now it’s time to gather up the rest of the ingredients.
The first is white rum. This adds some body to the punch… and a little extra kick.
And some pomegranate juice – it wouldn’t be Pom Punch without it!
Finally, grab yourself some brut (or dry) sparkling wine – either Champagne (French) or Prosecco (Italian). I actually prefer Prosecco, but use whatever you have on hand!
This punch has a lot of tart and sour components, which means that it needs a bit of sweetness to balance everything out. A quick simple syrup (½ cup sugar and ½ cup water combined and brought to a boil and simmered) is easy to make and is a perfect addition to the punch. And yes, I did forget to take a picture… (my bad!)
All that’s left is to assemble the punch!
In a large punch bowl, combine the rum, the pomegranate juice, and the simple syrup. Stir to combine. You can mix these ingredients together ahead of time and pop the bowl into the fridge until party time. Immediately before serving, pour in the chilled sparkling wine and garnish with the pomegranate seeds, super thin lemon slices, and fresh mint leaves (optional). Serve the punch in Champagne flutes and toast the New Year in style!
Delicious, festive, and a perfect centerpiece to your NYE party!
So, kiddos, how are you celebrating tonight? Big party plans or a jammie date with your sweetie? Let me know!
Wishing you all the best in 2016!
Love ya,
C
This recipe was featured in Perfect Eats on i’mperfect magazine, check it out here: http://im-perfectmagazine.com/pom-punch/
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1½ cup white rum
- 1¼ cup pomegranate juice
- 2-750mL bottles of chilled brut sparkling wine – either Champagne or Prosecco
- 1 large lemon, halved length-wise and thinly sliced
- Pomegranate seeds – as many as you want!
- Fresh mint leaves, optional
- To make simple syrup: In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil while stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. When the sugar dissolves, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely and then refrigerate.
- To seed a pomegranate: Cut a pomegranate in half. Submerge the pomegranate half in a large bowl filled with water and gently separate the seeds from the white membrane. The membrane will float to the top and the seeds will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Skim off the membrane and then drain the seeds. Set the seeds aside – they can be stored for a week in the fridge in an airtight container covered with a damp paper towel.
- Assemble the punch right before serving. In a large punch bowl, combine the white rum, pomegranate juice, simple syrup, and sparkling wine. Stir with a large spoon. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, lemon slices, and mint leaves. Serve in champagne flutes and toast to a good year!
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