Looking for an alcoholic punch recipe for your summer party? Fresh strawberries and basil make this just about as summery as you can get. And Prosecco keeps it classy. An easy punch recipe that everyone will love.
Summer’s here and… fill in as you like. Summer’s here and I am not going anywhere is how I would finish that sentence. It’s the summer of no vacation for me. It’s the summer of “isn’t my back porch great?” (It is, truly.) The summer of using our imagination and making our own fun, kind of like this. So why not have a few people over and serve something summer-y to drink? And who needs to be playing bartender all day? Just put it in a pitcher. Or a big bowl. It’s too hot and I’m too tired.
So the name of this drink came to me as I was typing up a work email telling someone that what they sent me was perfect and plenty. But then I thought that was such a good name for a drink that I would have to come up with a recipe to go along with it. I’ve been wanting to try out some fruit and herb combinations lately, and what’s better in the summer than an alcoholic punch recipe? Especially with basil and strawberries? So it’s perfect because it has the perfect amount of basil and it’s plenty because strawberries are so plentiful this time of year. And the pepper gives it punch, and brings out the spiciness of the basil. So I’m calling it Perfect and Plenty Punch.
The only labor involved in this alcoholic punch recipe is making the simple syrup, and that can be made a week or more before. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice, pour in a bottle of sparkling white wine. Pour yourself one, put your feet up and enjoy the breeze. Repeat.
Strawberry-Basil Prosecco Punch
(Perfect and Plenty Punch)
1 Bottle white sparkling wine such as Cava or Prosecco
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups cold water
Strawberry syrup with black pepper (recipe follows)
Strawberry basil syrup with black pepper:
1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups water
2 cups basil, lightly packed
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1/2 cup sugar
Place strawberries and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer for 20 minutes, until the berries have lost most of their color. Skim off foam that rises to the top, otherwise your syrup will be cloudy. This is a bit tedious, but it’s the only tedious thing about this recipe, and it’s totally worth it to make a drink that your friends will be raving about for weeks, so suck it up.
Strain the strawberries into another clean pan. Do not press down on the strawberries – this will also make your syrup cloudy.
Place pan with strawberry liquid over medium-high heat.
Add 1/2 cup sugar and stir to dissolve.
Add 2 cups basil and 1 tbsp black peppercorns and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a jar or other storage container to cool. Store in the fridge. Syrup will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
In a pitcher or punch bowl, pour 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 2 cups cold water, and all of the strawberry syrup. Add one bottle of sparkling white wine. Garnish with a basil leaf.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Prosecco or other sparkling white wine such as Cava
- 1 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 lb strawberries hulled and quartered
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups fresh basil lightly packed
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Rinse, hull, and quarter the strawberries.
- Place strawberries and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer for 20 minutes, until the berries have lost most of their color. Skim off foam that rises to the top, otherwise your syrup will be cloudy. This is a bit tedious, but it’s the only tedious thing about this recipe, and it’s totally worth it to make a drink that your friends will be raving about for weeks, so suck it up.
- Strain the strawberries into another clean pan. Do not press down on the strawberries – this will also make your syrup cloudy. Place pan with strawberry liquid over medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Add 2 cups basil and 1 tbsp black peppercorns and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a jar or other storage container to cool. Store in the fridge. Syrup will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
- In a pitcher or punch bowl, pour 1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 2 cups cold water, and all of the strawberry syrup. Add one bottle of sparkling white wine. Garnish with a basil leaf.
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