The punch is one of the most famous Christmas recipe. It is a warm and very aromatic drink that is drunk during the winter holidays all over Europe. It’s an easy and versatile recipe; there are thousands of versions of this famous winter punch.

The best known and most traditional Christmas punch recipe is the one made with wine and spices. It’s known as Vino dulce in Spain, Glögg in Sweden, Gløgg in Denmark and Norway, Glögi in Finland, and Glühwein in Germany, among others.

However, the recipe we propose here is an alternative vegan version and alcohol-free punch. It’s the perfect option to any Christmas gathering as it is drunk hot. The punch will delight us, without a doubt, with its exquisite sweet spicy flavor.

In this vegan punch recipe we use fruit juice instead of wine. A sweet and juicy seasonal fruit, such as grape or pear, are perfect for this. In this way, we create a much healthier version suitable for sharing with children and adults, whether they are vegan or not.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

– 600 g of grapes

– 600 ml of water

– 10 slices of fresh ginger

– 10 cloves

– 2 teaspoons of crushed cardamom

– 4 teaspoons cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks

– 4 teaspoons pink pepper

– 3 star anise

– Grated peel of 1 orange (organic to avoid pesticides that concentrate in the peel).

Preparation of the fruit punch:

1. Put 600 ml of water with all the spices in a saucepan and bring to the boil. When it starts boiling, lower the heat to the minimum and cook the mixture for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes until it drops to 60ºC.
3. In the meantime, wash the grape and remove the twigs from the bunch.
4. Strain the spice mixture with the Vegan Milker. Pour the mixture into the strainer and press it with the mortar to squeeze it well. The 600 ml of water will have been reduced to 500 ml of spicy concentrated infusion.
5. Remove the filter and discard the vegetable spice mixture inside.
6. Return the filter to the container where there is 500 ml of warm spicy infusion and add the grapes up to the top of the mesh. Blend the fruit with the hand blender, on gentle setting for 1 minute.
7. When the grapes have been crushed, remove the hand blender and add the rest of the fruit into the filter. Put the hand blender back into the filter and blend again. This time 30 seconds will be enough.
8. Release the filter and stir the pulp carefully with a wooden spoon to better filter the juice.
9. When the pulp is almost completely strained, press it with the mortar to finish straining the pulp and obtain the last drops of punch.
10. Transfer the punch to a punch bowl in which the heat is maintained and serve it lukewarm. It’s possible to enjoy the puch with some cookies, chestnuts or any other appetizer that we fancy at the moment.

You can also reserve the punch in the fridge and drink it the next day. Heat the punch in a casserole over very low heat. When it is lukewarm, transfer to the punch bowl and stir before serving. Pieces of fruit can be added to taste.

Alternatives

As already mentioned, any other seasonal fruit can be used to make the punch. Could be made with one fruit or a mixture of two. The best results, for me, are obtained with grape and pear conference, but for those who like to risk with more acidic or bitter flavors, you can also make it with orange or grapefruit base.

We hope you like it. Happy Holiday!