My family loves traditions, and one of the most beloved one once me and my brother hit college was the spiked punch that made the best tropical cocktail. There is always a pitcher full in the fridge from Thanksgiving to the New Years.
Not only was it the perfect drink when cooking and baking cookies, but it truly signified that the holidays were here. To this day, I still make it for my spouse, and of course he loves it.
What makes it so great is that the recipe can be changed and worked around. While my mother usually dumps till her hearts content and tries as she goes, I broke down a simple recipe for you to start with.
Soon, you’ll know it like the back of your hand and will have your own variation and additions to it. I hope you and your family enjoys it the same as mine!
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Difficulty Level: easy
Sangria Ingredients
- 2 Cups Vodka
- 2 Cups Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red
- 2 Cups Sprite
- 1 20ounce Can Pineapple Tidbits
- 1 15oz Can Mandarin Oranges
- Ice
- Optional: Other fruitAdd ingredients here…
Sangria Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a large pitcher besides ice.
- Stir well to combine. The fruit will settle to the bottom, it’s okay.
- Add ice and your fruit and stir. Serve as it or put in fridge to chill faster.
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Variations
Like I said, there are so many different ways you can create this recipe. For instance, you can add in whatever alcohol that works with you. Several people enjoy a more tropical taste than just Hawaiian Punch, so they include Malibu Rum! I’m not a fan of coconut, so I tend to avoid that spirit all-together.
Oftentimes my family includes various types of Bacardi Rum. For a while, we just used their Limon rum, but in later years, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed their Dragon Berry flavor. They even have a limited Tropical edition for those that want to get their Beach on.
But you don’t have to use Rum, you can use vodka, or any other alcohol you think would work best with it!
Additions
Call us weird, but one of the reasons we enjoy putting in the fruit, even though it sinks to the bottom, is that they not only release extra flavors into the punch, but they also soak up some of those flavors themselves, so when you get a piece of fruit, it’s a lovely treat.
Thankfully, you can add whatever fruit you want! I stick to just pineapple, oranges and cherries, but you can add peaches, strawberries, and even limes!
And that’s not all you can add. Do you want to make this for a holiday party but want to make sure everyone has a great time? Add some more alcohol! This punch is meant to taste more like punch and sprite than alcohol. So don’t be worried about putting in some more!
What Makes a Cocktail Tropical?
Essentially, one of the main things that makes a cocktail tropical is just by the ingredients used, whether that’s the flavored liquor, or the fruits. For instance, some of the most common flavors in tropical cocktails include pineapple and coconut.
Like mentioned, since I don’t prefer coconut flavored things, I used pineapple instead, however, you can easily use Malibu to create a more tropical cocktail with this punch.
Can You Make This Without Alcohol?
Absolutely!
This is one of the easier alcoholic beverages that you can make that you don’t really need to replace the alcohol, as it’ll taste just fine if you just omit it. You can keep everything the same, and it’ll still make a great, non-alcoholic punch!
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