Power Plates: Festa Family Champagne Punch

Each year I look forward to my grandfather’s annual Christmas Champagne Punch! It is a treasured Festa family tradition and he always jokes that the older my cousins and I get, the more he has to make. It is the perfect addition to any holiday party, dinner, etc. 

 

Here are the ingredients you will need: 

  • 1 quart of fresh strawberries, lightly sugared 
  • 1 bottle of your favorite brut champagne
  • 1 bottle of Rhine wine 
  • 1 liter of club soda 
  • ½ cup of lemon juice 

First, pull out your favorite punch bowl! Combine the strawberries (lightly sugared), lemon juice and half of the bottle of Rhine wine in the punch bowl and let sit for 2-3 hours, unchilled. Then add a block of ice (my grandfather always freezes a tupperware of water to make an ice block instead of using ice cubes – the cubes can dilute the punch), the rest of the Rhine wine, the champagne and the club soda.

Stir all of the ingredients in the punch bowl and you are ready to serve! I recommend having an extra bottle of champagne available to top off your glass.  

Catherine Festa