Pomegranate Champagne Punch ~ Friday's 5 o'clock Wet Your Whistle Call!

Punch is like having a team of elves that keep the cocktails flowing. The holiday season is filled with parties, cookie swaps, and the holiday meal with family. Punch is a great way to serve a tasty drink and free you up to enjoy your guests. Add a decorative ice ring to the punch and you have a beautiful display at your holiday table. Cheers to a happy holiday gathering!

Pomegranate Champagne Punch

Bon Appétit December 2007

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 - 750-ml bottles chilled brut Champagne, Sparkling Wine or Prosecco

1 1/2 cups white rum

1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice

2large lemons, thinly sliced, divided

Pomegranate seeds, divided

Fresh mint leaves, divided

1 ice ring*

Preparation:

Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely.

Combine Champagne, rum, and pomegranate juice in punch bowl. Add enough syrup to sweeten to taste. Mix in half of the lemon slices, pomegranate seeds, and mint leaves. Add ice ring to bowl.

* Ice Ring

Ingredients:

2 (12 ounce) cans ginger ale (more if you ring is bigger)

1/2 cup lemon juice

Pomegranate seeds

Lemon Slices

Mint Leaves

Directions:

Mix ginger ale with lemon juice. Pour 2 1/2 cups of the mixture into a 1 quart ring.  Freeze.

Arrange the fruit on top of the ice. Slowly, pour remaining juice mixture over the top so that you don't disturb your fruit decorations. If you are using a mold that is fluted on “top” make sure that you lay the fruit so that it shows best when flipped over. If mold is flat then lay fruit face up so that it shows best when placed in the punch bowl.

Freeze. To unmold, run cold water around outside of the mold until it releases (don’t get water in the ice mold)