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Thanksgiving Punch

Thanksgiving punch with chilled cranberry juice cocktail and apple cider, finished with ginger ale for a fizzy sparkle. Thin-sliced orange, fresh cranberries, and rosemary sprigs make a ruby-red, holiday-ready look in the punch bowl.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Drink
Cuisine: American
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry juice cocktail
  • 4 cup cranberry juice cocktail chilled
Apple cider
  • 2 cup apple cider chilled
Orange juice
  • 1 cup orange juice
Lime juice
  • 0.25 cup fresh lime juice
Ginger ale or sparkling water
  • 1 L ginger ale or sparkling water chilled; add just before serving
Orange slices
  • 1 orange thinly sliced
Fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
Fresh rosemary
  • 4 sprig fresh rosemary
Ice
  • 1 ice

Equipment

  • 1 punch bowl

Method
 

Mix the base
  1. Combine cranberry juice cocktail, apple cider, orange juice, and lime juice in a punch bowl. Stir until the color is evenly ruby-red.
  2. Chill the punch until ready to serve, keeping it cold for the best flavor. Visual cue: the bowl should feel firm-cold to the touch.
Add the garnishes
  1. Add orange slices, fresh cranberries, and rosemary sprigs to the chilled punch bowl. Visual cue: fruit and herbs should float on top for a layered look.
Serve
  1. Pour in ginger ale (or sparkling water) just before serving. Visual cue: you should see immediate fizz rising through the punch.
  2. Add ice and ladle the punch into glasses. Visual cue: glasses should fill with bright garnishes and crisp, sparkling bubbles.

Notes

Pro tip: keep every component chilled (especially the ginger ale/sparkling water) so the punch stays fizzy without watering down too quickly. Store the mixed base (without ginger ale) covered in the fridge up to 2 days; add ginger ale, garnishes, and ice right before serving. Freezing isn’t recommended due to texture changes after thawing. For a lower-sugar option, use a reduced-sugar cranberry juice cocktail and check ginger ale labels or swap in sparkling water for fewer added sugars.