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5 punch bowl cocktail recipes perfect for your Memorial Day cookout

5 punch bowl cocktail recipes perfect for your Memorial Day cookout
5 punch bowl cocktail recipes perfect for your Memorial Day cookout

MDW (Memorial Day Weekend, FYI), is the perfect opportunity to kick off summer with a good ol’ fashioned cookout (or barbecue, depending on where you come from) — and nothing pairs better with grilled eats than a big, fat punchbowl cocktail.

Whether you’re cooking burgers and ‘dawgs’ on the grill or opting for a vegetarian BBQ (think: squash, zucchini, and so much corn), you’re probably going to want to include some summer libations. If alcoholic popsicles aren’t your thing, these big-batch drinks are easy to make and oh-so summery.

These are some of the best punch bowl cocktails to make with your pals while debating over which song is THE song of the summer.

(Hint: it’s totally Carly Rae Jepsen’s.)

1. Blood orange punch (with chocolate bitters)

Care of The Crepes of Wrath blog, this recipe is a nice citrus drink and it’s certain to refresh your palate and sweeten your day — and did we mention there’s chocolate included?! Yum. Here’s what you’ll need to make 6 servings:

  • 6 ounces gin

  • 6 ounces Campari

  • 6 ounces sweet vermouth

  • 6 dashes chocolate bitters

  • juice of 1 blood orange

  • 12 ounces of seltzer

Start by shaking or mixing the gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and bitters with ice, then juice your orange (straining out the pulp) and mix that into the alcohol. Add seltzer and stir it all together, in a punch bowl or pitcher. Then, you know, enjoy!

2. Lightened-up raspberry coconut punch

This drink is the epitome of summer. Food and drink blog Averie Cooks offers up this simple recipe for an incredibly Instagram-friendly sunset drink that will go perfectly with some grilled chicken and a light salad. The recipe basically just entails mixing together the following ingredients (though if you’re going for the gradient effect, don’t stir the grenadine):

These measurements will make two servings, so feel free to double, triple, or quadruple depending on your squad.

3. Vodka punch with orange, grapefruit, and lemon

We know what you’re thinking: another citrus punch?! And the answer is, umm yes! It’s summer, boos! This recipe, from Big Girls Small Kitchen, makes a big batch o’ punch that won’t have you running back into the house to make more drinks. Perfect for the MDW BBQ, LOL! Here’s what you’ll need to mix this together (oh, and Big Girls Small Kitchen suggests using a handheld citrus juicer and using more grapefruits than lemons, BTW).

  • 3-4 cups vodka

  • 3 cups orange vodka (optional; you can also use more plain vodka)

  • 4 cups mixed freshly squeezed lemon, orange and grapefruit juice

  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups Zesty Sugar Syrup

  • 1 quart seltzer

  • 2 cups champagne

  • 3 tablespoons orange bitters (they used Regans)

  • 6 cups ice

  • Mint leaves for garnish

This simple recipe will yield 12-20 servings (par-tay!) and you’ll want to make the sugar syrup separately by boiling the sugar and water, then adding the citrus. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 3 1/3 cups sugar

  • 2 cups

  • Zest of 1 lemon, in 1-inch pieces (use your grater, not your microplane/zester)

  • Zest of 1 orange, in 1-inch pieces (use your grater, not your microplane/zester)

Enjoy!

4. Sparkling cranberry vodka punch

Brought to you by Instagram user It’s Happy Hour Time, this one’s sure to be a refreshing treat on a hot day — and it has cranberry juice, so it’s great if you have a UTI (just kidding, alcohol isn’t the best thing to drink if that’s the case). Here are the ingredients:

  • 4 cups Cranberry Juice Cocktail

  • 2 cups Vodka

  • 2 cups prepared Lemonade

  • 2 cups Ginger Ale (chilled)

  • Garnish suggestions: sliced citrus fruit , cranberries, mint leaves

First combine the cranberry juice, vodka and lemonade, then let that chill in the fridge for a couple hours (perfect amount of time for you to chill in the pool simultaneously), then add the ginger ale and ice, and pour it all ino the ever-classic punchbowl.

5. Tropical strawberry lemonade party punch

This lovely recipe is also from blogger-extraordinaire Averie Cooks, and it’s the perfect way to incorporate your favorite summer fruits into your beverage game. The recipe calls for:

  • 3 tablespoons Country Time Lemonade Starter Liquid Drink Mix, mixed with 2 cups water

  • 3 tablespoons Kool-Aid Tropical Punch Liquid Drink Mix, mixed with 2 cups water

  • 1 can (about 12 ounces) lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up, etc.; diet okay)

  • 1 cup pineapple juice

  • 1 cup orange juice

  • 2 cups fruit, diced small (strawberries, pineapple, mango, and orange slices; frozen okay)

  • 3/4 cup light rum

  • 1/2 cup coconut rum (Malibu or similar)

  • 1/2 cup peach or pineapple schnapps

  • 1/4 cup apricot brandy or triple sec

  • ice, for serving

For the base of the punch, use lemonade drink mix and two cups water, then add the tropical punch drink mix and two more cups of water. After you’ve stirred all of that together, go ahead and add in the rest of your ingredients, altering the amounts of alcohol and fruit depending on your needs. This recipe will make about eight cups and can be finished in five minutes. How’s that for summer simplicity?

Each of these recipes is quick and simple to make, so you’ll have more time to float around and pretend you’re on a tropical vacation for the weekend. HAGS!