Vegetarian Recipes: Drinks for the Adult Vegetarians

*These are some of my favorite drink recipes (from www.fineliving.com) for the adult vegetarians and are a wonderful addition to any of the meals or desserts*

Canton Ginger Passion Punch

By Stephen Phillips

4 oz. vodka
4 oz. Canton ginger liquor**
4 oz. sake
12 oz. passion fruit
4 oz. fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients and chill well. Serve over ice.

** Canton ginger liqueur is a hand-crafted infusion of cognac and ginger. Check cantonliqueur.com for retail stores.

Serves 8

Caribbean Cruise Punch

By Stephen Phillips

Is that the theme song from The Love Boat I hear? Get away from it all with a glass of this sweet, tropical punch.

6 oz. Malibu Mango Rum
6 oz. Malibu Coconut Rum
8 oz. pineapple juice
8 oz. pomegranate juice (to soften the sweetness of the liquor and the pineapple)

Combine all ingredients and chill well. Float four orange slices in punch bowl as a garnish. Serve over ice.

Serves 8

Champagne Punch

By Stephen Phillips

1 cup triple sec
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup Chambord
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 quart chilled ginger ale
2 chilled 750-ml bottles dry champagne

Combine triple sec, brandy, Chambord and pineapple juice. Chill the mixture for at least 4 hours. Combine triple sec mixture, ginger ale and champagne in a punch bowl. Add ice cubes and serve immediately.

Serves 12

Champagne Ginger Punch

By Stephen Phillips

1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup vodka
1 bottle champagne, chilled

Boil water, add sugar and ginger. Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool mixture then add vodka. Chill sugar and vodka combination overnight. Strain ginger from vodka and pour into the punch bowl. Add chilled champagne when guests arrive and serve. You can add an ice ring or ice block.

Serves: 12

Deee-Litchi Pomegranate Punch

By Stephen Phillips

24 oz. litchi juice
16 oz. ginger ale
8 oz. pomegranate juice
2 limes, cut in thin slices
8 oz. vodka
4 oz. cane liquor (Try the South African brand Mainstay or the cane-based rum Starr African Light Rum. For a less rum-like taste, the Brazilian cane spirit cachaca is a great way to go. Sagatiba is a good brand.)

Combine all ingredients and serve over ice.

Serves 12

Momma Price's Great Old Fashioned Texas Punch

By Stephen Phillips

This punch comes from Hondo, Texas. It's an old family recipe I adopted from a dear friend of mine. The friend's mother, a preacher’s wife, would make it for neighborhood functions. All I can say is, that must’ve been one happy neighborhood.

1 3-oz. package of fruit-flavored Jello, like strawberry
1 3-oz. pkg strawberry-flavored drink powder, such as Kool-Aid (sweetened)
2 qts. water
1 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1 46-oz. can pineapple juice
2 pts. pineapple sherbert
16 oz. orange-infused vodka
10 oz. 7-Up

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water, put in punch bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Add the 7-Up just before serving.

Serves 35

Rum Punch

By Stephen Phillips

You can never go wrong with a solid rum punch. Just make sure your guests like rum.

6 oz. lime juice
12 oz. simple syrup
18 oz. rum
24 oz. water
Grated nutmeg
A few dashes of Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients and serve over ice.

Serves: 8

Summer on the Porch Punch

By Stephen Phillips

Here’s a single-serving punch that's flavorful, and fun for the spring and summer. It's also very easy on the taste buds.

1 ½ oz. vodka
1 ½ oz. sweet red vermouth
1 oz orange curacao
½ oz. gin (Tanguary No. 10, if possible)
½ oz. cherry brandy
Assorted summer fruits, sliced (peach, apricot, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
1-2 dashes bitters
2 oz. ginger ale
2 oz. lemonade (sparkling, if possible)
Splash club soda (only if sparkling lemonade is unavailable)

Combine vodka, vermouth, gin, curacao and cherry brandy in a pitcher. Fill with ice and stir to chill. Strain mixture into a highball glass filled with ice. Add one or two small slices each of peach, apricot and strawberry and two or three of each type of berry to the middle of the glass and some on top. Add bitters. Add ginger ale and lemonade. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon rind.

Serves 1

Watermelon Champagne Punch

By Stephen Phillips

15 cups cubed and seeded watermelon
3/4 cup sugar
3 bottles champagne
Ice block

Combine fruit, sugar and champagne. Mix in punch bowl over ice block. Serve immediately.

Serves: 15-20