Celebrating the New Year may be a little different this year, but welcoming 2021 at home can still involve the drink of choice at any New Year’s Eve party: champagne! Popping open bottles of champagne once the clock strikes midnight is a beloved tradition here in the United States, and for that reason, it almost feels inappropriate to enter the New Year without it. That’s why we love this Pomegranate Champagne Punch: it’s tasty, refreshing and unique while upholding the tradition of sipping champagne at (or near) midnight.
Aside from adding a punch of flavor to this champagne punch, using pomegranate in this recipe serves as a nod to New Year’s Eve traditions from around the world – namely, Greece, where Greek people honor the pomegranate as a symbol of fertility and good luck. In fact, on New Year’s Eve, some Greek families roll a pomegranate toward the front door of their home. It is believed that the more seeds scatter on the floor, the luckier the New Year will be. Some even take the pomegranate to church, so that it may be blessed. Others place a pomegranate on the table during their holiday feasts.
Though most Americans may skip honoring the pomegranate during their holiday festivities, we can’t deny that the fruit is a striking addition to any holiday-themed food or drink! So, without further ado, the team at Westmount at Three Fountains Apartments in San Antonio, Texas welcomes you to try this delicious Pomegranate Champagne Punch, which yields 12 servings.
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 750-ml bottles chilled brut Champagne
• 1 1/2 cups white rum
• 1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 large lemon, thinly sliced
• Pomegranate seeds
• Fresh mint leaves
• 1 ice block
Instructions:
1. Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely.
2. Combine champagne, rum, and pomegranate juice in a punch bowl. Add enough syrup to sweeten to taste. Mix in lemon slices, pomegranate seeds, and mint leaves. Add ice block to bowl.
Shake up your household menu – and put your fully equipped kitchen to use – with this easy-to-follow recipe, courtesy of Westmount at Three Fountains Apartments in San Antonio, Texas.