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Gingerbread Bourbon Punch is the festive, spiced large batch cocktail of the season! With gingerbread spices, ginger beer and ginger brandy, this drink is like a Moscow Mule on steroids. You might never go back to the plain ok’ classic recipe again…
about this gingerbread bourbon punch
‘Tis the season to break out the copper mugs!!
Ok I know they can be used year round but I particularly love breaking them out in the winter months. The rich copper tones enveloping a chilled, gingery drink just scream holiday, no matter how you like to serve up your mules.
With the holidays coming up SO fast, I wanted to take the idea of a traditional mule and make it a giant punch for everyone to enjoy.
Note: this may or may not have been inspired by an old Good Eats episode (ahhhh I can’t wait for that show to come back!!!) about punch.
Anywho, this Gingerbread Bourbon Punch is basically a Moscow mule on steroids… and here’s why:
- It’s made with bourbon instead of vodka, which I think adds a lovely richness to the cocktail and makes it a little more spirit-forward.
- The ginger doesn’t just come from ginger beer… I also included some ginger brandy and ginger bitters to give the punch more depth and body.
- The cinnamon sticks and apple only enhance the spicy ginger, while also bringing in fruity, warming spice notes throughout that totally remind me of gingerbread for some reason (hence the name… yes I used “hence”, deal with it lol).
When you serve it all up in a giant copper punch bowl with copper mugs, it’s impossible not to feel that festive joy in your heart and all over your taste buds.
You can even make this punch ahead of time! Just leave out the ginger beer and add it (make sure it’s chilled!) right when you are ready to serve.
Garnish each glass with an apple wheel and cinnamon stick, and voila! A party punch to rule them all…
ingredients
bourbon – bourbon is the obvious choice for this punch, and you can go with a nice mid-price range option like Bulleit or Woodford Reserve.
apple juice – use 100% apple juice for this recipe. You could also use apple cider if you prefer, but it will make the punch a bit sweeter.
lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is always best!
brandy – I picked up a ginger brandy for this recipe to really hammer home the ginger flavor. I highly recommend using it, but you can also use regular brandy if you prefer.
ginger beer – did you know that ginger beer isn’t actually beer? It’s a bubbly non-alcoholic beverage with a big kick of ginger. I like brands that are spicier with a lot of ginger like fever-tree ginger beer. However, if you prefer less spice, there are other brands out there that you can defer to like bundaberg ginger beer.
bitters – ginger bitters gives a lot of flavor to this punch!
fruit – you will need one lemon and two apples (any kind! I used Gala) for this recipe.
cinnamon – a handful of cinnamon sticks really gives you that spice flavor that you are familiar with in gingerbread cookies!
this recipe’s must-haves
As you can see, I used a copper punch bowl for this recipe! You only need to make the punch in the punch bowl so you don’t need a lot of tools to make it happen.
Serve it up in copper mugs like you would a Moscow Mule!
here’s how to make gingerbread bourbon punch
stir together
In a large punch bowl, stir together bourbon, apple juice, lemon juice, ginger brandy, and ginger bitters until combined.
Add 2 cups of ice.
add bubbles
Top off with ginger beer. Stir until combined.
Garnish with lemon slices, apple slices, and cinnamon sticks. Serve in copper mugs filled with ice and garnish as desired.
tips for success
make it ahead. This is a great punch to make ahead of time. Simply follow step one, then chill the mixture until you are ready to serve. Then add ice and ginger beer.
use whole spices. Be sure to use whole cinnamon sticks and not ground cinnamon. Ground cinnamon will cloud up the drink and can’t easily be strained out.
More tasty ginger cocktails to try: Jameson & Ginger | Ginger Martini with Drunken Cranberries | Whiskey Apple Ginger Fizz | Sparkling Ginger Mint Julep
can I make this ahead of time?
Yes you can! All you need is to combine everything in Step 1, then chill until you are ready to serve it. When ready to serve, add to a punch bowl with ice and top with ginger beer. Serve!
can I use rye whiskey instead of bourbon?
Technically yes. You can swap bourbon for rye whiskey, but I believe bourbon goes together with the flavors in this punch really well. The rye whiskey will change the overall flavor of the punch, so I just like to call that out!
Finally, if you make this gingerbread bourbon punch recipe, please be sure to give this recipe a rating or leave a comment! I love to hear when you all make recipes, and I do take the time to respond to every single comment. Feel free to drop questions below too, if you have them!
Oh and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make the recipe! I love being able to see these recipes come to life in your homes – it’s my favorite thing to look through those photos. It really means the world to me!
Be sure to check out the recipes I’ve already shared for the 12 Days of Jolly Giveaways!
Day One – Red Wine Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu
Day Two – Gingerbread Challah Bread
Day Three – Mini Beef Wellingtons
Day Four – Bourbon Gingerbread Punch
Gingerbread Bourbon Punch
ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups bourbon
- 1 cup 100% apple juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup ginger brandy
- 5 dashes ginger bitters
- 7 cups ginger beer
- 1 lemon sliced
- 2 apples sliced
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- Ice
instructions
- In a large punch bowl, combine bourbon, apple juice, lemon juice, ginger brandy, and ginger bitters. Stir to combine well.
- Add 2 cups of ice.
- Top with ginger beer.
- Garnish with lemon slices, apple slices, and cinnamon sticks.
- Serve in copper mugs filled with ice.
Casey H says
I love baking with my momma- a tradition as far back as my memory goes??
Lisa Babs says
I don’t really go to holiday parties. But growing up we went to my dad’s side for Christmas Eve dinner. That was like a party. He was one of 7 children, so as you can imagine that was always lively. Actually that holiday memory made me a touch sad because both of my grandparents on that side has passed and most of his side has moved away so we don’t see each other much anymore. BUT I’ll always have those memories.
manda shank says
I loved my dad’s Office Christmas parties when I was a child. Lots of great food and kind people.
Cindy A. says
When I was a child and all of my family members were still here. It seems I say goodbye to another one with each passing year.
William says
At every company holiday party, my good friend Rob ALWAYS manages to Irish exit no matter what and it always makes for a good laugh the next day.
Tim says
My favorite Christmas memory is when I got my original NES system. It was the big toy of the year and I couldn’t believe I had one.
Jessica Gipson says
My most favorite memorable holiday party of all time is when my great aunt and her husband took over the dance floor doing the robot, it was hilarious to see them both with so much energy.
Michel says
WE had a huge family get together with tons of games, food and it was just an amazing time.
Karen D says
The Christmas parties for my father’s work. Santa came and brought a toy for each of the kids.
miranda says
my annual cookie party
Jayme | holly & flora says
Girl, these copper goodies are gorgeous, and this ginger-packed cocktail sounds AMAZING! Hope your holidays are treating you right. Holiday party memories? My dad would buy huge bags of holiday M&Ms and fill up a brandy snifter for his holiday parties. My sister and I would dig M&Ms out by the handful. Oh, and the time where my mom gave us Halloween candy for Christmas because it was on sale! We still laugh at the candy skeletons we got on Christmas morning.
Mary says
Can I give my worst holiday party memory, instead? When I was a kid, I looooved olives. My parents would dole them out a few at a time, but I never got unfettered access. Cut to my grandmother’s holiday party one year and her unattended relish tray. I ate ALL the olives. If I’d thought of it, I would have rolled around in them like Scrooge McDuck in a pile of gold coins, I loved olives THAT much and yy five-year-old self consumed several pounds of delicious, salty olives. No one noticed. A half hour later, it’s present opening time. Adorable little me in a long dress, looking angelic in the light of the tree, suddenly and dramatically begins projective vomiting olives everywhere.
It’s thirty years later and I’m a responsibly-employed mom and still? Every. Damned. Christmas. The story of ‘Remember when little Mary threw up on all the presents?’ gets nostalgically rehashed.
Meghan B. says
LOL omgggggggg this story just made my entire day!! Hahahahaha! Gotta love a story you can’t live down 😉
carol clark says
my fav memory was when the dog tore up the present and no one believed me until my mom come home and the dog was clawing one i got something extra cause no one believed me
Jen says
My favorite is my daughters’ first Christmas when all of a sudden a friend gave us a tree and not having any ornaments yet we just hung all of her littlest stuffed animals on it.
Denise E. says
My favorite Holiday party memory was also a disaster! My son has a birthday the day before Christmas and we always celebrated both his birthday and Christmas at my in-laws on December 24th. A staple of the celebration was an ice cream cake from 31 Flavors. We opened gifts and celebrated and gathered everything into the car for the very short drive home. Once there, we unloaded all the gifts and put them under the tree and went to bed. The next morning, around 10a.m., I began to clean up around the tree and wondered aloud if we had remembered to bring home my son’s leftover cake. We checked the freezer and the car, but it wasn’t either place. After much searching, it was finally found melted and mushy under our Christmas tree!
Nicole Martin says
My favorite Christmas party memory was last year… It was my dad’s last Christmas. 🙁
Jennifer S. says
I remember my best friend’s family coming over for many Christmas Eve dinners and gift exchanges. After they went home, my brother and I would set out cookies for Santa and try to go to sleep. I do remember always waking up long before my parents — now I’m a confirmed night owl, last to bed and to get up, so that makes me laugh. It got so bad that when I was eight or nine we changed things so that we opened gifts on Christmas Eve so that we wouldn’t have to wake the parents up the next morning. (They are fairly early risers, so I can only imagine what terrors my brother and I were to bring about that change!) To this day, presents get exchanged on Christmas Eve even though no one is so excited that they couldn’t patiently wait Christmas morning!
Karrie says
watching my grandparents dance at their Christmas parties
Donna Kellogg says
My favorite was our first elephant gift party. So much fun
Kimberly Flickinger says
My favorite Christmas party memory are the little parties that my late grandmother and I had every Christmas. We would pick a snowy night and have lots of sweets and watch movies together.
bill says
the christmas when I got my first bike
Gary says
I loved going on a cross country holiday trip
Saundra Bowers says
A work party I attended with my husband a few years ago that was actually fun. I don`t normally like attending things that like and it had just the right amount of games, prizes and attitude.
Robin Abrams says
My favorite party memory is when we had our big Christmas partys with the whole family before my grandmother passed. We had so much fun
Donna says
My daughter’s first christmas
Rebecca says
I loved my first Christmas with my husband’s family. Each year, they always do a Secret Santa drawing and once we were married, I was finally able to participate!
Laura S says
Going Christmas Caroling afterwards! It is such fun even though I am terrible at singing…
Ann says
This is as real as it gets:
Getting my son back after my horrible ex-husband tried to kidnap him.
Rust says
One of my favorite memories was the first Christmas I traveled with my husband to meet all of his extended family. I was very nervous!
Tina W says
One year when I was about 7 my family rented a cabin in the mountains and we spent Christmas week there. It was CROWDED (I am the seventh of 8 kids, so there were spouses and some nieces and nephews involved) but it was so fun, playing in the snow and spending tons of time with family.
Heather says
My first Christmas with my husband’s family, doing a wine tasting then playing word games.
Brenda Haines says
The year my uncle came dressed as Santa. My son’s eyes lit up and it was such a magical moment to watch.
Julie says
It was a surprise that we did for my grandmother. We originally thought our family couldn’t be all together for christmas and she was expecting it to just be half of our family at Christmas but we did this huge surprise for her
Madison | A Joyfully Mad Kitchen says
My parents used to have a Christmas party every year that my friends and I would help serve at. We’d dress up in Santa hats and make it a whole ordeal! It’s definitely a favorite Christmas memory of mine.
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
Holiday parties go bonkers these days, but my favorites are the ones from my childhood. Specifically, white elephant parties (before things got weird) and cookie decorating ones. Some of my childhood friends would ALWAYS host a party that had both of those, and we always had the BEST time.