This week is all about hosting and having a great holiday with family and friends. I am not a big fan of alcohol, which is why you don’t see alcoholic drinks on my blog. My family isn’t big on alcohol or smoking, for that matter. My dad would drink the occasional beer when he had friends over, and although my mom kept them in the refrigerator for him, he barely touched them.
My first experience with alcohol was at my brothers house and it was not a nice experience. Hangovers are no joke and I’m not talking about the movie. So although I may have the occasional wine, I don’t overdo it. I do keep alcohol around the house but in limited quantities, but whenever I’m hosting I tend to go non-alcoholic. After all there are usually children around and I would prefer to err on the side of caution. That’s why today I want to share with you my Holiday Tropical Punch. It’s a hit with everyone, the alcoholics and non-alcoholics alike.
Holiday Tropical Punch
Ingredients:
2 Starfruit
2 Persimmons
2 Kiwis
1 cup Simple Syrup
1 bottle World Market® Blood Orange Italian Soda
1 bottle World Market® Limoncello Soda
2 bottles Brix Jamaican Ginger Beer or Regular Ginger Beer (Ginger beer is typically non-alcoholic, check packaging)
Directions:
Using a Microplane or mandoline slice fruit into thin pieces, set aside.
Into a punch bowl or pitcher add Italian sodas, simple syrup and ginger beer.
Taste to adjust sweetness, add more simple syrup if you prefer a sweeter taste.
Add sliced fruit to the punch bowl or garnish individual glasses with fruit.
Serve and enjoy.
Now back in the Caribbean where I grew up, my mother would make her own ginger beer with fresh ginger. Ginger beer is a drink that you would find in most Caribbean homes around the holidays, freshly made of course along with another tropical drink called sorrel. Fresh ginger beer is a recipe that I never really perfected but can make, but when it comes to sorrel drink, I can say that I’m a pro. For this recipe however, we decided to use ginger beer that was purchased, but if you would prefer using fresh ginger beer that you have made then that is a-ok as well.
To make it a truly Caribbean Christmas in the kitchen, you can check out our Oxtails over Curried Jasmine Rice.
Enjoy!
