Nothing says Christmas like eggnog – at least for me. Too bad the rest of my family won’t go near it, and while I could easily polish off a quart on my own, I appreciate our plumbing too much to do that kind of damage. I also don’t feel like returning all of my gains from the gym, at least not for that.
So while I mourn another holiday season without my favorite nutmegged grog, I can at least toast with the next best thing. And who are we kidding, Christmas is for, and about, the kids anyways, and this delight of a dram demands both ice cream and sherbet. After a few winters, they’ll look forward to this more than Santa’s presents. Well, maybe.
I like this recipe because it’s four ingredients (with an optional fifth if you’re an adult, if you know what I mean. After all, we still have the rum from the eggnog). Ice cream, sherbet, soda, and juice. Those things are staples in most households, so it doesn’t require much additional fridge or freezer space, plus if they’re not staples, then, you’re welcome. Because I just gave you a reason to stock up on ice cream.
Punch is always great because it packs a nice…punch. What can I say? Lime or raspberry sherbet has a crisp tartness. The fizz and flavor of the carbonated ginger ale intensifies it. Throw in some pineapple juice, and you’ve got one more biting sharpness that leaves a satisfyingly pleasant mouthfeel. And it’s all heavily-sugared, meaning your taste buds and lizard-brain want more and more.
It’s an instant pleaser!
As titled, this is super easy and quick to prepare, with basically just one direction. Make sure you keep reading as well, because if you aren’t necessarily dairy tolerant – as many readers are not – there are ways to keep the zesty zing of the punch without incorporate lactose.
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until lumpy and frothy. Do not overmix as this will only result in a runnier drink.
2. Serve immediately!
Ingredients
1/4 gallon vanilla ice cream
1/4 gallon sherbet (lime or raspberry works best; I prefer lime)
1 quart ginger ale
1 quart pineapple juice, canned
Optional (for adults): Splash of rum
Alternative to Christmas Punch (dairy-free)
If you’re like me, aging didn’t help with ice cream consumption. I didn’t need many more reminders I’d outgrew my youth, yet suddenly a small pint of ice cream resulted in bloating for days. Seriously, what happens to our bodies?
If that’s the case, check out this even easier standard punch recipe, using the same basic ingredients. In this case, all you need to do is combine 1/2 gallon of any flavored sherbet with a 1/2 liter of ginger ale and lightly mix. In the Christmas Punch recipe, you almost need a power mixer due to the thickness of the frozen ice cream, but as sherbet is softer you can get away with hand mixing.
You can mostly eyeball the 1:1 ratio of sherbet and ginger ale, but what usually works best is starting off with the sherbet in a bowl and slowly pouring in the desired amount of soda, mixing as you go. Once you achieve the desired consistency, stop mixing and serve immediately.
