Paradise Beach Punch

When we think of punches, we think of drinks that can easily be scaled up to serve a crowd. They are drinks that don’t have to be shaken one at a time to reach the right consistency. They are drinks that you can easily add a little more rum to if the party isn’t going the way you want it to. We make a lot of punches during the summer because we do a lot of entertaining. While we’ve been shaking up cocktails from Tiki Drinks lately, there are still plenty of occasions when we prefer to have a pre-made pitcher in the fridge just ready to pour.

Paradise Punch is one of our biggest hits of this summer so far. It’s a fruity drink that uses pineapple juice, passion fruit syrup and lime juice as its base. It gets a hint of spice from a splash of Swedish Punch and rum in two different forms: white (to preserve the color of the drink) and aged Jamaican (to add a little tropical funk). We used Torani Passion Fruit Syrup in this particular punch to get some passion fruit flavor and to eliminate the need for additional simple syrup (it’s always nice to save on prep work when you entertain), even though that isn’t usually the bottle we reach for when making most passion fruit drinks. Don’t skip the lime because you need the acidity to balance out all that fruitiness!

The punch is delicious and easy to drink. We chill it and pack it into thermoses on picnics or simply put it out in a punch bowl – or a few tiki bowls – at a party. The recipe can be scaled up easily and the basic recipe below will serve from 2-4, depending on serving size. If you are entertaining a crowd with kids too young to drink – or simply want to have a non-alcholic beverage available – this punch can be made without any rum or liqueur and still taste delicious.

Paradise Beach Punch
1 1/2 oz lime juice
1 1/2 oz passion fruit syrup
8 oz pineapple juice
2 oz white rum
1 oz aged Jamaican rum (such as Appleton)
1 oz Swedish Punsch

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher with a few (1/2 cup) ice cubes and stir until chilled. Pour punch into individual serving glasses filled with ice cubes (we used Stone Cold Ice Cubes) to serve. Garnish with spent lime shells or pineapple wedges.

Serves 2-4