Recipe: Thanksgiving Bog Alley Punch

Thanksgiving is all about cooking and sharing a table with the ones you love. Whether you're hosting the party or a guest this year, this cranberry party-friendly punch can be prepped and batched ahead of time, so you can spend those precious hours focused on the turkey. 

The name and recipe for this punch is inspired by cranberry harvest, which takes place in October. We had a blast working the cranberry bogs this year with our friends at Starvation Alley Cranberry and made this punch for the concluding harvest dinner. 

Bog Alley Punch by Bull in China
Serves 8-10 people

10 oz bourbon (we used Temperance Trader from Bull Run Distillery)
7.50 oz cranberry shrub* 
5 oz maple syrup
2.50 oz lemon juice
Top with a sparkling wine like prosecco or a dry hard cider. 
Garnish with cranberries and lemon rounds.

Directions: Pour bourbon, cranberry shrub, maple syrup and lemon juice into a punch bowl. Stir well and large format ice cubes (see note below). Top with prosecco or dry cider. Garnish with cranberries and lemon rounds. Enjoy! 

*To make cranberry shrub:
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups granulated sugar
8 orange peels
1 teaspoon of crushed cardamon seeds

Directions
Add ingredients into a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to incorporate all ingredients while the cranberries break down, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully strain through a large fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Discard cranberries or, better yet, save the mixture and use it for a pie filling, scones or incorporate into your cranberry sauce. 

NOTE: When prepping punch, it's important to make large format ice cubes. They look great and also dilute slowly, so they'll keep your punch bowl chilled over the evening. Some easy ways to make large format ice cubes are:

• Fill a Chinese take out box with water, fold it up and place it in the freezer overnight. When your punch is ready, peel off the paper and pop it in!

• Fill up a tupperware container

• Or, freeze your cubes in a cupcake tray
  
  

Tips:
We recommend topping the punch with 2 -3 cups of prosecco to start, so it gets a little fizz to it. You can then add more to taste. One other little tip: As people throw back the punch throughout the night, continue to top it off with more prosecco to keep it full.