Santa Claus Christmas Punch is an extra-delicious, easy, make-ahead holiday punch perfect for a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party. This festive alcoholic punch is so good you will want to plan a party just so that you can serve it to your friends.

This Christmas punch is also filled with all things good for you: pomegranate juice, fresh lemon juice, and cranberry juice. Of course, since it’s a punch with a kick, it has tequila and, to give it a subtle effervescence, a bottle of dry sparkling wine.

Like this recipe for Homemade Sangria, the bright deep red color of Santa punch is perfect for the holidays. It’s similar to sangria with all of the fruit juices and really would be a great light, refreshing cocktail anytime. Float an ice ring made from cranberry juice and cranberries in your punch bowl, and you have a beautiful holiday presentation and a delightful drink.

Here is what you will need:

You will need 100% pomegranate juice, tequila, fresh lemon or lime juice, 100% cranberry juice, sugar, and dry sparkling wine. You will also need fresh or frozen cranberries if you plan to make an ice ring to keep your punch cold.

Here’s how to make this recipe:

Refrigerate all of the ingredients except the sugar until you are ready to make the punch.
Make a simple syrup by placing the sugar and one cup of water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir constantly and boil about five minutes or until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Let the syrup cool.
Stir together the pomegranate juice, tequila, lemon juice, and cranberry juice in a large gallon-sized container or punch bowl, and add the simple cooled syrup. Chill at least 4 hours.
To make the ice ring, add cranberry juice and cranberries to a mold and freeze until firm, which should also take about four hours.
Right before you serve your punch, add the sparkling wine and ice ring.

Sharon’s tips:

You can substitute lime juice for lemon juice. If you are in a pinch, you can also use frozen lemon juice, but don’t use the bottled lemon juice.
You can also substitute vodka for the tequila.
The fruit juice mixture is delicious by itself, so if you want to make this punch non-alcoholic, leave out the tequila and sparkling wine and add a bottle of club soda.
If making an ice ring, you will need additional cranberry juice and fresh or frozen cranberries. You can use water instead of cranberry juice for the ice ring, but it will dilute your punch when it melts.
If you don’t have a mold, you could fill the cups of a muffin tin, use paper cups, or even a plastic storage bowl to make a block of cranberry ice to keep your punch cold.

Related recipes:

If you like this recipe, you will love these other recipes, which are perfect for serving at a Christmas party:

Easy Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms
Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Crab Mornay
Easy Cranberry Brie Bites
Bourbon Pecan Brie Bites
Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
The Ultimate Blue Cheese Spread with Pecans

If you need additional party ideas, check out all of my appetizer recipes here or my Christmas recipes here.

★ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

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