New Year’s Eve calls for something bubbly, and this champagne punch is what Jake and I have been toasting with for the past five years. It’s elegant enough to feel special and easy enough that I can make it while simultaneously refereeing a Monopoly game, which is what New Year’s Eve actually looks like at our house.
The secret is the frozen berries. They keep the punch cold without watering it down, and they look beautiful floating in the bowl. Clara always picks the raspberries out of her glass and eats them one by one, which I find charming even though she’s getting fruit juice everywhere.
For the kids, I make a virgin version with sparkling cider instead of champagne. They get their own bowl, their own ladle, and their own sense of occasion. Mason insists on clinking glasses with everyone in the room, which takes approximately fifteen minutes when you count the dog.
New Year's Eve Champagne Punch
Ingredients
- 1 bottle champagne or prosecco chilled
- 2 cups white grape juice chilled
- 1 cup orange juice freshly squeezed preferred
- 1/2 cup triple sec or orange liqueur optional
- 1 cup ginger ale chilled
- 1 cup frozen raspberries or strawberries for garnish
- fresh mint sprigs for garnish
Instructions
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In a large punch bowl, combine white grape juice, orange juice, and triple sec (if using). This can be done up to an hour ahead and refrigerated.
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Just before serving, pour in the chilled champagne and ginger ale. Stir gently — you want to keep the bubbles.
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Add frozen berries directly to the bowl. They act as ice cubes that won't water down the punch. Garnish with fresh mint.
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Ladle into glasses and serve immediately. For a kids' version, skip the champagne and triple sec — use sparkling cider and extra ginger ale instead.
Recipe Notes
For the kids' version, skip the champagne and triple sec — use sparkling cider and extra ginger ale instead. They'll feel just as fancy, I promise. Clara insists on having a real glass (not plastic) for her virgin punch, and I think that's fair.
A Few Things I’ve Learned About Punch
The first year I made this, I poured the champagne in too early and it went flat before midnight. Now I keep the bottle on ice next to the punch bowl and add it at the last possible moment — right when the ball starts dropping, ideally, or whenever the kids get distracted enough that I can sneak away from the board game.
If you’re making this for a crowd, double the recipe and use a large glass bowl so the frozen berries show through. It looks absolutely beautiful, and people always comment on it. You can also swap the champagne for sparkling cider if you’ve got kids who want to feel included — Clara insists on having her own ‘fancy glass’ every year.
Leftovers keep in the fridge overnight, though the bubbles will be gone. It makes a surprisingly good morning-after juice if you’re too tired to make anything else on January 1st.
What I Use for This Recipe
A couple things from my kitchen that make this one easier.
Stop guessing. Best twelve dollars I ever spent on my kitchen.
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