The Party Recipe

Chill and rim (optional)

Place serving glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. If rimming, rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass, then dip into a shallow plate of sugar or coarse salt to coat. Set glasses aside.

Prepare garnish by thinly slicing the orange and lime. Lightly slap mint sprigs between your palms to release aroma and set aside.

In a large beverage dispenser or punch bowl (at least 3–4 quart capacity), combine the vodka (8 oz), white rum (8 oz), gin (8 oz), tequila (6 oz) and triple sec (6 oz).

Add the fresh lime juice (6 oz) and simple syrup (6 oz) to the spirits and stir thoroughly until the syrup is fully incorporated.

Pour in the pineapple juice (24 oz) and cranberry juice (24 oz). Stir gently to combine. Taste and adjust balance: if too strong, add up to 4–8 oz additional pineapple or cranberry juice; if too sweet, add a squeeze more lime juice.

Cover and chill the punch for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to marry (can be chilled up to 4 hours). For immediate serving, keep well chilled by adding ice to each glass rather than the entire dispenser to avoid dilution.

When ready to serve, add the chilled club soda or sparkling water (16 oz) to the punch and stir gently to preserve effervescence. If using bitters, add 1 dash per cup served (approximately 6 dashes for this batch) and stir once.

Fill each prepared glass with 1 cup of ice (adjust per preference). Ladle the punch into glasses, leaving a little room at the top for soda. Garnish with a slice of orange and a slice of lime and a mint sprig. If using fresh berries, drop 2–3 berries into each glass.

Provide a ladle and tongs for the punch bowl or dispenser. Remind guests to stir lightly before pouring if the punch has sat to re-distribute any settled juices.