This Non-Alcoholic Punch Is Perfect For Your Easter Brunch
Easter always falls in spring and the bunny with its colourful eggs makes a pit stop during this holiday to delight kids and adults alike. While alcohol might be on the menu, not everyone will be drinking booze during Easter brunch. For the sober ones and those who cannot drink, this fruity punch has lots of lime and orange and one special ingredient, that makes it as drinkable as slurpable. To keep it cooler consider adding ice to the punch bowl.
That special ingredient is sherbet which is associated with the Arab royals, and the earliest references point towards them ruling over Italy in the 9th century. They used to freeze fruit juices, sugar and ice which made for a treat similar to the modern-day granita.
The more colourful the punch is, the more ideal it will be for serving during Easter. You could choose peach, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry or pineapple to make the frozen delight (recipe below). This recipe calls for ginger ale, but you can always go for a lime-based soft drink, sparkling beverage or club soda. As for the fruit juices, you can use any depending on their colours, go for lighter shades so the sherbet has the freedom to blossom in the drink.
Easter Special Sherbet Punch
Let’s make the sherbet in two flavours that you will need for this non-alcoholic punch. Pick your favourite flavours for the sherbet, for this recipe we have picked two citrus – orange and lime. You will need at least four hours per sherbet unless you are doing them side by side. Preparing a day in advance is the wisest, so they are ready to go into the punch bowl the next day. The rest – the juices, lime and orange slices, mint and ice can be prepared on the day of mixing the punch bowl itself for your Easter brunch.
Orange Sherbet
Ingredients:
235 ml fresh orange juice
120 ml water
150 gm sugar
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Use a small saucepan to combine the orange juice, water, and sugar and over medium heat simmer the mixture stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Remove from heat, add the orange zest and lemon juice, mix and allow to cool completely. Once it's cool, then pour this mixture into a baking tray and pop into your freezer for about an hour.
Take it out from the freezer and using a fork break any ice crystals and scrape the sherbet.
Pop it back into the freezer and freeze again, this time for 2 hours or more.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
Lime Sherbet
Ingredients:
1 litre whole milk (chilled)
1 pack gelatin (80-100 gm)
200 gm sugar
235 ml boiling water
30 ml lemon juice
7 gm lemon zest
Method:
Pick a large bowl and dissolve the gelatin and sugar in boiling water then add lemon juice and zest. Add the milk and whisk.
Pour into a baking tray or a 23 cm square pan, cover and freeze for two hours.
Use a fork to break any ice crystals and scrape the sherbet from top to bottom like a farmer hoes the soil for aeration.
Cover again, freeze for an hour and take out when prepping the punch.
Ingredients for the Punch
1 litre orange sherbet (divided)
1 litre lime sherbet (divided)
2 litres ginger ale (chilled)
500 ml cranberry juice (chilled)
500 ml pineapple juice (chilled)
2 medium-sized limes (thinly sliced)
1 medium orange (thinly sliced)
Fresh mint for garnish
Method for the Punch
Take 6 scoops of the orange and lime sherbets each, segregate them on a muffin tray and store them in the fridge. Keep the rest of the sherbet outside, you will it all!
Now, till the time the sherbet scoops chill, get to mixing the punch! Combine pineapple juice, cranberry juice and ginger ale in a large punch bowl. Give it a star and add the orange sherbet, stir and then add the lime sherbet.
Keep stirring until the sherbet melts and once the whole bowl only has liquid, bring out the tray and plonk the scooped sherbet into the punch bowl.
Add the oranges, lime slices and fresh mint. Your colourful Easter punch is ready.
