Holiday Sherbet Punch

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Once a year, at Christmas or New Year’s, we have this sherbet punch that my mom used to make for all our holiday dinners and special events.

Really simple: 1/2 gallon sherbet, 1/2 gallon juice, and 2 (2 liter) bottles of ginger ale.

I think Cole was about ten or eleven years old when I delegated the responsibility of mixing the punch in the punch bowl to him, much to his delight. We still wait for him to have a taste first, just to make sure it’s “ok.” =)

First the sherbet needs to be scooped into the punch bowl, then the juice poured in, followed by the ginger ale.

Watching the last of the gingerale being poured in is always fun because the punch bubbles up so much that it always looks like it will overflow over the bowl edges.

My mom’s punch was simply orange sherbet and gingerale. I added juice to our version, and it’s been raspberry sherbet, raspberry juice, and ginger ale for many years now. Though this year I was a little late in getting my supplies, so I had to settle for rainbow sherbet (orange, pineapple, and raspberry), which still tasted quite good.

This is really what all the kids want to scoop into their punch cups.

Actually all flavors of sherbet work well here. I’ve had this made with lime, pineapple, and watermelon sherbets (not all together) and they were all good.

It is traditional to serve this punch with potato chips. Every year I tease my kids by telling them we’re cutting back on the less nutritious foods, so there will be no punch or chips this year.

The response is always loud, immediate and the same, “Awwwwwwwwww, moooommmm….it’s Christmas/New Year’s!”

I guess it just doesn’t feel like the holidays without punch and chips.