Bourbon & Vodka Spiked Holiday Punch Recipe

This boozy holiday punch recipe is always a hit at parties. This bubbly adults-only cocktail is spiked with bourbon and vodka. Serve it for Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

Cheers! Whether you’re celebrating Christmas or toasting the New Year, this festive party punch is sure to be a hit.

The Best Holiday Punch Recipe

I know there are lots of festive holiday punch recipes out there, but I think mine is the best! A friend passed the recipe along years ago, and it’s always a hit when I make it for parties.

Made with vodka, bourbon, cranberry juice, orange juice, lemonade and ginger ale, it has a nice boozy zing. The recipe takes only five minutes to mix up, and it can be made mostly ahead of time and completed just before serving.

The easy Christmas punch recipe makes 20 strong drinks, and it can easily doubled for larger gatherings.

Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe? Click here to watch my web story on how to make Spiked Cranberry Holiday Punch with Bourbon and Vodka.

You can scroll to the end of this post for the full recipe and ingredient list. But you may want to keep reading for more tips on how to make the best holiday punch for a crowd.

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Jump to:

• The Best Holiday Punch Recipe
• Holiday Punch Ingredients
• How to Make Holiday Punch
• Serving Tips & Suggestions
• How to Make Ahead of Time
• More Holiday Party Food & Beverage Ideas
• Printable Recipe Card

Holiday Punch Ingredients

To make this boozy Christmas or New Year’s Eve party punch, you will need:

• Vodka – Choose a plain vodka for this recipe. You don’t have to use a top-shelf brand.
• Bourbon – The flavor of the bourbon combines so well with the citrus, ginger ale and cranberry in this holiday punch. Choose a moderately priced brand, and the punch will turn out great.
• Cranberry juice or cranapple juice – I usually use 100 percent juice, but if you prefer a sweeter punch, you can use sweetened cranberry juice cocktail.
• Frozen lemonade – The recipe calls for 12 ounces of undiluted frozen lemonade concentrate, but you can use a 16-ounce can, as well, without having the adjust the other ingredient amounts.
• Frozen orange juice concentrate – The recipe calls for 12 ounces of undiluted frozen OJ, but you can use a 16-ounce can without having to adjust the amounts of any other ingredients.
• Ginger ale – Add this last to give the holiday punch its bubbles and fizz. In a pinch, you can subsitute lemon lime soda.
• Cranberries – Use fresh or frozen berries as garnish.
• Orange slices – Add fresh slices to the punch just before serving
• Lemon slices – Float lemon slices in the punch bowl for a pretty presentation

How to Make Holiday Punch

1. Combine vodka, bourbon, cranberry juice, frozen orange juice and frozen lemonade in a large punch bowl or large pitcher.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Next, add the ginger ale just before serving and stir gently.
4. Garnish with cranberries and orange and lemon slices.

Looking for more drink ideas for the holidays? Try one of these Apple Cider Drinks for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Includes more than 30 different recipes, including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Serving Tips & Suggestions

A beautiful punch bowl always makes a nice presentation. Freeze cranberries and water in a bundt pan to make a pretty ice ring to float in the punch.

If you don’t have a punch bowl, this festive drink can be served in a large pitcher or a drink dispenser.

This easy punch recipe is definitely one to add to your holiday drinks menu. Be sure to float some orange slices, fresh cranberries, or even frozen cranberries, for a pop of color and a festive touch.

Provide extra garnishes to add to individual glasses.

That’s what I call a cup of holiday cheer!

A pitcher or punch bowl filled with this beverage goes a long way. When I’m entertaining, I find it much more cost effective to whip up a batch of this punch instead of stocking a full bar.

You can also easily cut this recipe in half, if you’re expecting a smaller crowd.

How to Make Ahead of Time

The boozy holiday punch can be made or prepped ahead of time. Just wait to add the ginger ale and fruit until guests arrive so the punch stays fizzy.

• Mix together the alcohol, fruit juices and frozen fruit juices. Store in the refrigerator.
• Slice citrus fruit and store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• When you’re ready to serve, pour bourbon and fruit juice mix into a punch bowl, pitcher or drink dispenser.
• Add the ginger ale, sliced fruit and cranberries just before serving.

Pin This! Alcoholic Christmas Punch Recipe

More Holiday Party Food & Beverage Ideas

Looking for appetizers, cocktails and mocktails to serve at your holiday parties?

These are some of our favorites:

Appetizer Recipes

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• Homemade Cheese Ball Recipe
• Pork Fried Wontons
• Spicy Fire Crackers

Cocktails & Mocktails

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• Apple Cider Mimosa
• Pomegranate Mimosa
• Vanilla Vodka Drinks
• Hibiscus Cocktails
• Hot Buttered Rum
• Cranberry Christmas Wine Spritzer
• 35 Easy Mocktails
• Orange-Pomegranate Juice Spritzer

Printable Recipe Card