Cranberry Pineapple Punch
Cranberry Pineapple Punch is my new go-to party cocktail. It can be made with or without alcohol and it’s perfect for holiday parties!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.
CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE PUNCH
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I’m sitting at my desk writing and looking out of my office window. It looks out over my backyard filled with huge 40-year-old trees. I’m so lucky because my backyard is one of my favorite places on Earth! I can see the chickens wandering around my neighbor’s yard, the apples on the tree outside my window and the ground is covered in Fall leaves. It fills me with so much happiness I could burst! When I see the leaves on the ground I start to think about Thanksgiving and Christmas. The reason I love these holidays is that I get to spend time with my friends and family!
I love entertaining during the holidays because I get to spend time with people I love and have a great time with! Entertaining at the holidays can be stressful but I have some of the best tips for holiday entertaining. I just shared them the other day so make sure you check it out. One of my tips is to serve pitcher drinks! They’re so simple to make, you can mix them up ahead of time and people can serve themselves!
I partner with Kroger and they recently had me and my blogging friends out to their office for a #BloggerBanquet! We got to chat with the awesome people at Kroger to learn more about ClickList, how they develop the new products that they bring out and tour the largest Kroger store in the country. There was even a little Christmas caroling in ugly Christmas sweaters. It had everything we needed to get into the holiday spirit! The best part was the #BloggerBanquet! We each prepared a dish and shared it at a big dinner at the end of the day! It was so much fun!!! I knew a lot of the bloggers and got to meet even more in person for the first time. We had a blast and it was exactly what I love about the season.
There were about 20 or 30 of us and I was in charge of the cocktail. I knew right away it was going to be a pitcher drink. I didn’t want to be stuck behind the bar while all my friends were having a good time. I also knew that I wanted to serve something up that would be just as good without alcohol. About half of the bloggers there don’t drink and it’s the same at a party right? At any party, you’ll have someone that doesn’t drink or isn’t drinking to be the safe designated driver and I wanted to make sure that they weren’t left out.
I settled on the Cranberry Pineapple Punch because it was a beautiful color this time of year but it also has a bit of a tropical flavor. It makes it taste so refreshing and adds a bit of sunshine into these dark winter days we’re heading into here in Portland. And I think we all know cranberry is a great idea for the holidays, especially in a Cranberry Margarita!
I made two pitchers one for each drink, with and without alcohol. Because the pitchers were identical I marked the one without alcohol with a napkin around the handle. That way there isn’t any confusion. With a label, the pitchers could still get switched up. This way you know everyone can find their drink. I’d also freeze some fresh cranberries and use them to garnish the drinks. That way you can keep them cold longer without watering them down. Plus, the cranberries and sliced limes look so pretty together floating in this gorgeous drink!
Cranberry Pineapple Punch was such a hit I had to remake both pitchers three times! I love the flavor of the drink so much! It really is nice to have a bit of a tropical hint especially the rum version. It makes me feel like I could be either sharing what I’m thankful for or sitting on a beach relaxing. It’s a total holiday win in my book!
Cranberry Pineapple Punch
Ingredients
- 4 cups cranberry juice
- 4 cups pineapple juice
- 1 cup silver rum
- 1 cup coconut rum
- 2- liter ginger ale
- juice of 1-2 limes
Garnish
- 2 limes sliced (plus more for glasses)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries frozen
Instructions
- combine cranberry juice, pineapple juice, silver and coconut rum, and lime juice in a pitcher
- add lime slices and fresh cranberries to the pitcher
- top off with ginger ale or just add directly to a glass when serving
- enjoy!
Video
These look really good!! Simple flavors, but taste Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!Merry Christmas!!!!
Wanting to make this for a going away party without the alcohol, but my store doesn’t have coconut flavored Torani. Any suggestions? Will it be good without the coconut flavor?
Shouldn’t be a problem, you will just have a bit more tangy flavor. Let me know how it works out!
Not a fan of rum but I love cranberry and pineapple. I was going to try making it with vodka.
Vodka works too!!
Great recipe!! Was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Traci, so glad you like it!
I used vodka and everyone loved it and it blended in perfectly that you couldn’t taste the vodka but you certainly felt it!!! I also used pineapple and cran-grape juice. Fabulous!!!. I also didnt need the gingerale. Its all in what you like and how much you want to put into it. Mine was a hit. I had to make 2 extra pitcher’s
Hey, just wanted to know when you say top off with ginger ale does that mean add 2 liters to the mix??
Yes, you’ll want to pour the ginger ale into the pitcher until the pitcher is full. Depending on the size of your pitcher all the ginger ale (or not) may fit. If it doesn’t all fit, you can pour a little more into each glass once you pour the punch in.
Not a fan of coconut-would you just double the other rum?
Yes! 🙂
Just made some… it’s very good. I nice balance of the flavors and does have a little tropical taste(I like) I did wonder why mine was not very red and just noticed I bought cranberry juice cocktail ? Instead of just cranberry juice. Don’t make that mistake or it will be more the color of apple juice?
I’m so glad you liked it! It sounds like another excuse to maek it again! 😉 Happy New Year!!
I’m having a party of 50 guest and plan using a drink dispenser that holds 1.5 gallons. Do you recommend I make it by the pitcher to your specifications here until the dispenser is full or multiply the ingredients and make it in one large batch?
Hi Toyin! You could do either really. You’ll need a double batch to get 5 quarts of punch (for your 6-quart container)…or you could triple it and not use as much fruit in the drink dispenser. You may have a little more punch than will fit in the dispenser though. Hope this helps!
Not a fan of ginger ale any suggestions on substitutions?
Hi Margie! You could use lemon-lime soda or champagne (I’d recommend an asti for the sweetness).
Ok-recipe is great …now to all of you asking about substitutions…seriously??? One says they don’t like ginger ale-do you really think you’re going to be able to pinpoint it as ginger ale given all the other flavors involved? Also proseco is NOTHING like ginger ale. She makes it this way, it would be nice to respect that I lieu of asking her for substitutions given the fact that this is yummy just the way it is. Julie, you’ve been super sweet and very kind in your replies to these ridiculous questions-I’ve made this as is and I wouldn’t change a thing!
totally agree! People try your own versions on your own….stop with the dumb questions.
Should the drink be chilled overnight or prepared before the party
Could I make this with champagne instead of rum?
Champagne instead of rum would give a totally different flavor profile to this punch. The fruit juices and ginger ale would all pair just fine with the champagne, but it’s a completely different cocktail. (Side note – if you want to do champagne and leave out the ginger ale, I would use an Asti to compensate for the sweetness in the ginger ale.)
Could you substitute half of the ginger ale with prosecco or champagne?
Hi Chelsea! If you want to substitute champagne for the ginger ale, it will change the flavor profile of the punch slightly. That being said, I would use as Asti over a prosecco or champagne since it’s sweeter and would still bring that sweetness into the punch.
How much does this make? Wondering what size pitcher/container to buy?
This punch is made in a 2.5 quart pitcher, so at least that size or a little bigger. Here’s the pitcher Aubrey has >> http://amzn.to/2gsjPR8
Hello, this looks great. do you use straight/pure cranberry juice for this, or more the ocean spray diluted type? Also, is silver rum “regular” bacardi type rum? Thanks!
Hi Sarah! We used a straight cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail (diluted type). The silver rum is “regular” Bacardi type rum. Basically not spiced or dark rum. 🙂 Hope this helps!
thanks much! looking forward to trying it for holiday cocktails
Hi-
I know you should don’t use cranberry juice cocktail but are you using the 100% straight cranberry or the 100% juice which is a blend of cranberry plus grape and apple? ThAnks
Have you used any other alcohol…gin/ Vodka
You could use a coconut flavored vodka or a plain vodka + coconut syrup, but the taste will be slightly different. I would not use gin.
So, if I want to make the non-alcoholic version of this drink, do I just remove the alcohol and follow the rest of the recipe exactly? Do I need to add more gingerale? Etc. Thanks
Hi Ashlee! If you want o make this an N/A punch, I’d add 1/2 cup more of each juice and then start with 1/2 cup of Torani coconut flavored syrup (to replace to coconut flavor from the rum). Mix, taste, and add more coconut syrup if desired. The syrup is sweetened so this punch will come out a bit sweeter than the original. Hope this helps!
Hi,
I noticed that one of the ingredients was Coconut Rum, my daughter is alerica to Coconut. Do you think using Spice Rum instead would be a good substitute?
Will be bringing it to our Thanksgiving Supper.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Kimberlee
Hi Kimberlee! Silver rum would be the best substitute if you can’t use the coconut rum. The spiced rum would seriously alter the punch and take away from its bright flavors.
I have made this delicious punch for a bridal shower. Many people(myself included) dont like coconut flavoring. Our family prefers vodka. So i used vodka instead and cran-grape juice. 2 pitchers gone in one hour. Had to make more
Nice punch! I can prepare this for parties or small gathering with friends!
How would it taste without alcohol?
Hi Kitty! The punch won’t be the same, but you can definitely make it N/A. I could add 1/2 cup coconut syrup (like Torani) and 1/2 cup more of each juice. You can add more coconut syrup to taste once you mix everything up. 🙂
Any suggestions if you want to make it non-alcoholic but still want the coconut flavoring from the coconut rum? Would Torani coconut syrup work?
Hi Tracy! You could substitute Torani coconut syrup to get that flavor without the rum. I’d add 1/2 cup more of each juice and then start with 1/2 cup of Torani. Mix, taste, and add more coconut syrup if desired. The syrup is sweetened so this punch will come out a bit sweeter than the original.
Love the idea!?