Champagne Punch
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Nov 17, 2025 
Bubbly, fruity, bright and boozy champagne punch is one of my favorite party drinks for the season! It’s easy to make with 5 simple ingredients, including ruby red grapefruit juice and ginger beer, plus a few festive garnishes like whole cranberries and cinnamon sticks. One sip and I’m sure you’ll make this punch part of your holiday traditions, too!
I’m not really a woo party person, but I sure do love to play hostess for the holidays. I feel like it’s the perfect time to have friends and family over for casual gatherings to ease the stress of the Christmas season and keep everyone in a festive mood. Similar to my classic wine punch recipe, this simple 5 ingredient large batch champagne cocktail takes barely any effort to make, and gets guests into the merry and bright vibe (thanks, rum!). Consider this holiday punch recipe my gift to you!
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Fabulous Flavor – Dare I say, this holiday punch hits all of the best flavor notes! The combination of crisp champagne, tart and sweet cranberries and grapefruit, plus rum, makes a drink that’s vibrant and perfectly boozy. Not only will it get the party started, this drink will keep it going!
Big Flavor but Low Cost – The ingredients are easy to find, and because you’re adding fruit juices to the mix you do not need to buy super high-quality champagne or spiced rum.
Large Batch – This recipe fills an entire old school-style punch bowl that can serve up to 16 people at once. So you won’t be fussing over individual cocktails all evening, and guests can serve themselves. Because remember: you’re a host, not a butler *wink* You deserve to enjoy the party, too!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Champagne – I prefer a true brut champagne versus a sparkling wine. It’s not nearly as sweet and has a nice clean finish.
- Ginger beer – Despite the name, ginger beer from the grocery store is not alcoholic. But it does have a fantastic, sharp ginger bite, and the carbonation makes the punch extra fizzy. *Some breweries and pubs do sell alcoholic ginger beer.
- Cranberry juice cocktail – Or you can use a cranberry juice blend. Just stay away from plain cranberry juice that’s made without sugar. It’s way too tart.
- Grapefruit juice – I use ruby red instead of pink grapefruit juice because it’s much sweeter and less acidic.
- Spiced rum – The rum is optional, but honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever left it out of the recipe. And I’ve never heard any complaints! It adds a deep spicy note to balance the tart flavors.
- Garnishes – Slices of fresh grapefruit, whole cranberries, and cinnamon sticks are what give the beverage a punch of holiday spirit!
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Chill – I start the night before or way earlier in the day by getting all of the ingredients cold in the fridge. The rum can go in the freezer for any length of time, and the juices can go in the freezer for an hour or two; not long enough to completely freeze, but they’ll get super chilled.
Combine – I add the cold ingredients to the bowl just before guests are due to arrive, so everything stays as cold as possible. It doesn’t matter in what order they’re added. Then give it all a gentle stir.
Garnish – Lastly, I add the whole cranberries, fresh grapefruit slices, and cinnamon sticks right to the bowl. These are optional, of course, but they really add to the festivities!
Recipe Variations
Rum swap – Rum is optional in this recipe, but highly recommended to cut through the sweetness of the champagne and sugary juices. But if you want to go in the opposite direction and amp up the sweet flavors, try swapping the rum with a sweeter ruby port wine.
Nonalcoholic – I’ve turned this bubbly punch into a mocktail several times for holiday parties with lots of kids, and it’s always a hit! I swap the champagne for Sprite or another lemon-lime soda, still use ginger beer (since, again, there is no actual alcohol in most ginger beers), and skip the rum (obviously).
Serving Suggestions
I usually put out a big glass bowl of punch in the middle of the table, with a ladle and a stack of cups to the side, and plenty of snacks. These are some of my favorite holiday finger-foods that add to the fruity cranberry and grapefruit flavors of the punch:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can serve this bubbly beverage in a drink dispenser with a nozzle. The effervescence of the champagne and ginger beer will start to fade as time goes on, but you’ve got at least a couple of hours.
Are you in the market for a beverage dispenser? This list of the best drink dispensers includes my top recommendations. I love the simplicity of the larger, 3.5-gallon clear dispenser, which you can get on Amazon for around $55, or the mason-jar style dispensers are super popular as well and sell for under $40 on Target (for a one-gallon size).
I mean, it comes together in literally 5 minutes, so I’m not sure what the benefit would really be. You could go ahead and mix the juices and rum together in a bowl to save 2 minutes. Then pour in the sparkling wine and ginger beer when it’s time to serve.
It’s important to chill the ingredients well before mixing. But to keep the beverage super cold, I recommend making fruit juice ice cubes in advance with cranberry or grapefruit juice. These look pretty, don’t add excess water, and they only dilute the alcohol a smidge!
More Holiday Drink Recipes
Champagne Punch
Video
Ingredients
- 750 ml champagne (1 bottle)
- 24 ounces ginger beer (2 bottles)
- 3 cups cranberry juice cocktail (or juice blend)
- 2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice
- 1 cup spiced rum, optional
- Possible Garnishes: fresh cranberries, grapefruit slices, cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Chill all ingredients.
- When ready to serve, pour all ingredients into a punch bowl.
- Garnish with cranberries, grapefruit slices, and cinnamon sticks.
Notes
- 2 – 750 ml bottles of champagne (or sparkling wine)
- 750 ml bottle Ruby Port
- 2 cups fresh grapefruit juice
- 1/2 cup simple syrup
- Grapefruit slices
A hit with everyone at our holiday party! I would definitely make it again.
I really enjoying my holiday with champagne punch! Love your Blog
What kind of champagne? Dry, brit, doesn’t matter?
Hi Jami,
Honestly, you can use whatever you prefer. It does not have to be super high-quality champagne, since you are mixing it with other ingredients.
Loved this so much! I’ll definitely be making it again for New Year’s Eve!
This tastes really good! Such a perfect holiday drink!
Huge success! Thanks so much for this detailed recipe. Your recipe has been amazing. Thank you again 🙂
Simply the best holiday beverage. So easy to make and so SO delicious.
I love it! So fun and festive!!
Such a fun festive drink!