Editor’s note: For 12 days leading up to Christmas, St. George News is featuring staff members’ favorite holiday recipes. Here’s the latest installment.
ST. GEORGE — Alcohol-free drinks are just as important during the holidays as main dishes, treats and sides.
They allow children to be involved in the preparation, are ready in mere minutes and can be adjusted accordingly by color, taste and theme.
This time of year, some folks take to calling it “Grinch Punch” — a light-green colored, sweet, carbonated delight that can be prepared with as few as three ingredients.
It’s best accompanied by something salty, like homemade Chex mix or popcorn balls while watching one of the versions of its namesake, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” (The original Dr. Seuss classic narrated by none other than Boris Karloff is this author’s personal favorite.)
Your little Whos down in Whoville are sure to chug this stuff in a flash, so be sure to warn them that brain freeze is a definite possibility if they hastily try to slurp it through that festive straw and forget to take a breath.
If you are going straw-free, one fun variation is to create a red sugary rim. Simply moisten the rim of the plastic cup and turn it upside down to coat the edge, much like the adult version of this drink and others like them.
The recipe offered here, gleaned from several dozen reviewed online, is versatile and can be adjusted to fit whatever you’re celebrating throughout the year. Check out one variation, which features a fresh strawberry option, on The Toasty Kitchen website.
Recipe for Grinch Punch
Ingredients
- 2 packets unsweetened lemon-lime Kool-Aid (.13 oz)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 can pineapple juice (12 oz. can)
- 1 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed (12 oz. can)
- 1/2 liter of lemon-lime soda or ginger ale
- Ice
- Red sanding sugar for glass trim
Instructions
Pour 2 quarts of water into a 1-gallon pitcher. Add the Kool-Aid mix and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pineapple juice and lemonade and stir well.
To top the rim of a glass, dip the top in water then dip into the sanding sugar.
Just before serving, add the Sprite and ice to the pitcher. Carefully pour the Grinch Punch into the glasses dipped in the red sanding sugar.
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