Strawberry-Pineapple Champagne Punch

Submitted by Chicagoland Chef du Jour

"This is a great punch for any type of celebration. Ladies love this so keep it in mind for your next bridal or baby shower. Be sure to prepare the night before."

 

• Ready In: 12hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 12-20

ingredients

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled & chopped
• 2 cups white zinfandel wine
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice, frozen concentrate
• 1 whole lemon, juice and zest of, retain shell
• 750 ml champagne, chilled bottle
• 1 liter carbonated lemon-lime beverage, chilled

directions

1. Wash and hull strawberries and chop coarsely.
2. Combine: wine, sugar, pineapple juice concentrate. Add strawberries.
3. Add: zest of entire lemon and Juice of entire lemon, and add the lemon shell to above wine mixture. Stir, cover in airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

4. Next day:

5. Strain liquid and discard pulp and lemon shell.
6. Pour into a large punch bowl, add champagne and soda.
7. Serve in a champagne flute, over ice.
8. I DO NOT always strain the fruit out of the liquid but I do discard the lemon shell.

Reviews

[KissKiss]

This was a huge hit at our Christmas Eve dinner. Only reason for the 4 stars (and not five) is that the directions are kind of unclear. It doesn't say to ADD the lemon zest or the lemon juice (which we did) - it just says to zest the lemon and squeeze out all juice. Anyways, it turned out great regardless of the confusion. We left the strawberries in, and it looked beautiful. Will definitely use this again for parties and holidays. Thanks!