At a recent party where I featured a bourbon tasting, I wanted to have something available beforehand – something easy that wouldn’t require a lot of bartending. Punch was the obvious answer. You can mix it up ahead of time, and guests can serve themselves while you are frantically pulling appetizers out of the oven (well, you know, hypothetically). Because I had lots of cookies and sweets on offer, I chose a Whiskey Sour Punch in contrast. I do not have a picture, unfortunately, because I was too busy frantically pulling appetizers out of the oven. The recipe follows. Whiskey Sour Punch (from Cooking Light) 1/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup water 2 ½ cups refrigerated fresh orange juice (look for fresh-squeezed in the refrigerated section of the produce department) 2 cups bourbon (I used Four Roses Yellow Label, my go-to bourbon for punch) ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons) 3 cups chilled club soda Fresh orange and lemon slices (optional) Combine sugar and 1/3 cup water in a 1-cup glass measure. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes; stir until sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature. Combine sugar mixture, orange juice, bourbon, and lemon juice in a large pitcher; stir well. Stir in club soda just before serving. Garnish with orange and lemon slices, if desired. (I did; it’s prettier that way.) Serves 10 (serving size about ¾ cup). I doubled the recipe, and it was more than plenty for a party of 30.
