A great party calls for a good-sized batch of your own “special cocktail punch,” so these recipes call for “parts” rather than measured amounts. As my assistant manger Debbie Baxter’s husband, Goose, says about cooking down his sorghum molasses, “Just eyeball it.” Mix up a bit more than you think you’ll need and keep it in a pitcher in the refrigerator. Then you can quickly refill the punch bowl.
1 part freshly brewed iced tea, sweetened to taste
2 parts apple cider
1 part Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
Green apple slices, lemon slices, and fresh mint sprigs
Combine the tea, cider, and Jack Daniel’s in a punch bowl or pitcher. Garnish with apple, lemon, and mint. Serve over ice.
4 parts cranberry juice
2 parts pineapple juice
1 part orange juice
3 parts Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
Fresh cranberries, orange slices, and lemon slices
Combine the juices and the Jack Daniel’s in a punch bowl or pitcher. Garnish with fresh cranberries and orange and lemon slices. Serve over ice.
2 cups whole milk
2 cups half and half cream
2 cups Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
Nutmeg
Combine the milk, cream, and the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey in a pitcher. Chill or freeze until slushy. Serve sprinkled with nutmeg.
3 parts Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
2 parts apple cider
1 part orange juice
1 part lemon juice
4 parts ginger ale
Orange, lemon, and apple slices
Combine the Jack Daniel’s, cider, orange and lemon juices, and ginger ale in a punch bowl or pitcher. Serve over ice. Garnish with orange, lemon, and apple slices. This cider punch is extra good in the fall when the air is crisp and cool.
Heard around the TABLE
A hostess enjoyed this encounter. As a Southern term of endearment and respect the title “Miss” applies to all our hostesses. As the hostess greeted her guests and led them to Miss Virginia, one lady appearing stunned turned to me and said, “But we’re in Lynchburg, shouldn’t we be seeing Miss Tennessee?”
If only I’d been quick enough to respond, “You’re talking to her!”
2 parts pineapple juice
1 part orange juice
1 part Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey
¼ part Rose’s lime juice
Splash of pomegranate juice, optional
Lime and orange slices and fresh mint sprigs
Combine the pineapple and orange juices, Jack Daniel’s, and lime juice in a punchbowl or pitcher. Add a little pomegranate juice to give it a pinkish hue. Serve over ice. Garnish with lime and orange slices and mint.