My girls loved drinking this non-alcoholic Christmas punch at Christmas dinner and all through the holiday season when they were growing up. And honestly, our entire family still loves it today. We affectionately called it “Rudolph Punch” and it’s so simple you don’t even need a recipe for it!
Y’all know I’m not a food blogger. I’m just a normal mom that has to cook, like most of you. So I only share super simple recipes that my family loves!
Don’t miss our other family holiday favorites!
- Classic Green Bean Casserole
- EASY Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- GG’s Corn Pudding Recipe
- Cranberry Orange Ham
- Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
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Ingredients for Rudolph Punch
- ginger ale
- cranberry juice
- green sanding sugar <=== This is where I bought my green sanding sugar!
This drink is so easy there isn’t even a full printable recipe! (So many people have asked for the recipe I’ve updated my article with more details about amounts. I’m sorry I wasn’t specific enough earlier. Please comment if you’d like a recipe card — if enough people ask, I’ll add that to this recipe.)
Delicious Holiday Punch Recipe By the Glass
I usually mix up this festive punch recipe as needed to keep its fizz. My kids enjoyed a fancy glass of punch for their Christmas Eve dinner.
First, I dip the top edge of the serving glasses in water and then dip it into the sanding sugar. I’ll fill each glass about half full of cranberry juice. Then fill it to the rim with ginger ale.
Crate and Barrel has some gorgeous little juice glasses, including this one that looks almost exactly like the one I used today.
Then carefully pour cranberry juice into each glass until it’s about halfway full. Then fill it up with ginger ale.
Add an ice cube and a straw and you’re set! BTW, I just cut regular straws in half so they’d fit these little glasses.
I told you this was an easy recipe!
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Christmas Morning Punch By the Pitcher
Fill half of your pitcher with cranberry juice. Slowly fill to the top with ginger ale and stir gently with a wooden spoon.
I like to serve it in a large pitcher for a small family brunch or Christmas breakfast. It’s a little quicker to make it by the pitcher to serve a whole family. You could also fill a large drink dispenser for your festive holiday party guests.
By the Punch Bowl
- 2 – 32-ounce bottles of cranberry juice
- 2-liter bottle of ginger ale or lemon-lime soda
Pour cranberry juice into a large punch bowl (any large bowl will work if you don’t have a punch bowl). Then slowly add ginger ale.
This is also pretty with some floating cranberries frozen in ice. I’ve used a little ring pan to freeze ginger ale with whole cranberries and slices of orange in it. Freeze it with the fresh fruit the day before your party and add the ice ring right before serving.
Honestly, I don’t even know how many calories this has — or the amounts of carbohydrates, protein, calcium, potassium, sodium, or vitamin C… we just like the flavor!
Other Additions to this Easy Christmas Punch Recipe
In a pinch you can mix just about any of these items to make a festive drink or non-alcoholic punch for Christmas parties:
Base Liquid:
- gingerale
- lemon lime soda
- club soda
Fruit Juice:
- cranberry juice
- cranberry juice blend
- cranberry cocktail
- pineapple juice
- orange juice
- pomegranate juice
- apple cider
- Hawaiian Punch
Fresh Fruit:
- fresh cranberries
- orange slices
- pomegranate seeds or pomegranate arils
Add Other Garnishes or Ingredient:
- raspberry sherbet
- lime sherbet
- simple syrup
- cinnamon sticks
- one of the fruit juices frozen into ice cubes
Keep some of these ingredients on hand for last-minute holiday meals during the Christmas season.
And keep an eye out for these items while you’re thrifting:
More Holiday Drinks
But if you want a big ole’ BUNCH of delicious holiday drinks, check out these non-alcoholic Christmas drink recipes:
- Christmas Drinks Made Easy
- Super Delicious Mocktails Recipes
- The Good Housekeeping Christmas Cookbook
- Grinch Punch Recipe — A fun twist of my recipe! A really easy green punch with red sanding sugar. Fun to drink while you watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- Thanksgiving Punch
- Easy Party Punch for a Holiday Dinner
Let me know if you have another good punch recipe for special occasions… I always like to add to my repertoire.
You’ll need some Christmas cookies to go with this easy Christmas punch, so check out this list:
101 of the BEST Christmas Cookie Recipes
More Easy Holiday Recipes
If you’d like this Rudolph Punch recipe, check out these other holiday recipes:
I hope this article inspired some ideas for your next Christmas party. The best things about this time of year are the times we can spend with our whole family! And the non-alcoholic version of the perfect drink is a perfect addition to those get-togethers.
Merry Christmas from,
Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim
Kirsten says
That green sugar on the rim is the perfect touch! So festive!
Super Mom - No Cape! says
This is the punch we have for every holiday meal from Christmas right through to Easter and the 4th of July… except we use Sprite instead of gingerale. Those sugar dipped glasses are such fun. I’ll definitely be adding that this year! Thanks for the idea.
ducttapeanddenim says
Isn’t it fun? We’ve used Sprite, 7Up, regular, & diet. Sometimes it depends on what we already have on hand. But I think the gingerale is still my favorite. Thanks for reading!
Courtney mickens says
Can this punch be premade??
ducttapeanddenim says
I’ve made a pitcher at a time but always served it right away. I think it would lose it’s fizz if you made it too far ahead of time.
Sue LD says
What a fun way to serve punch.
Sarah says
Yum! This punch sounds so delicious.
Mother of 3 says
So cute and easy! My boys love when I take that extra minute to coat the rims of the glasses in sugar. Such a little detail that goes a long way. I love cranberry juice so I’ll be pinning and making this!
BarB says
Sprite must have seen your recipe. You can now buy Cranberry Sprite right in the bottle or can.
ducttapeanddenim says
lol… I’ve seen that!
Anne says
Does the cranberry sprite taste the same as this recipe?
ducttapeanddenim says
No. Sprite doesn’t have the ginger flavor. It’s just lemon-lime. Still good… but different.
chris says
What is the perfect ratio of ginger ale to cranberry juice?
ducttapeanddenim says
I like half and half.
sam says
I have been making this punch for years. I also add a bottle of vodka. so good.
Kathy A says
I loved the green sugar; when my kids were little, they would have vied to see who could get the greenest lips and tongue!
Beverly says
What are the measurements of ginger ale and cranberry juice ?
And where do you get the green sanding sugar ??
Thank you
Beverly
ducttapeanddenim says
Beverly, Here’s my affiliate link to the green sanding sugar that I bought on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ekXp23
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Theresa says
Where is the recipe for the punch?
Marcene Sassaman says
I accidentally made this punch years ago, but I used Cranapple juice and Fresca! It is scrumptious! And doesn’t get simpler!
Susie A says
Do you use 100% Cranberry juice, Cranberry blend or Cranberry Cocktail for your Rudolph punch?
ducttapeanddenim says
I always use 100% cranberry juice. But I’m sure the others would work.