Elderflower And Peach Summer Punch Recipe

There's nothing better than sharing a refreshing and fruity drink with your friends or family, especially when you're looking to cool off in the summertime. While it can be fun to play bartender for a while, it can quickly become a bit of a fuss mixing up fresh drinks left, right, and center when all you want to do is sit down and enjoy the company. So, why not mix up this elderflower and peach summer punch recipe in advance, and then put your feet up and sunbathe with a delicious drink in hand?

Inspired by classic English summertime garden ingredients, this punch, from the kitchen of Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, is an elegant and flavorful drink option that can be prepared in as little as 5 minutes. With a fruity sweetness from the strawberries and peaches, a light floral hit from the elderflower, and a bright and cooling herbal finish from the mint, this punch is the embodiment of summertime in a bowl. And, while this punch recipe is strictly for adults due to the white wine and St. Germain liqueur it contains, you can also easily switch things up for kids and those who prefer to avoid alcohol. To make an alcohol-free version, substitute the wine for more lemonade and the St. Germain for an elderflower cordial, creating a fabulously fruity, kid-friendly punch.

To begin this elderflower and peach summer punch recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want peaches, strawberries, a lemon, St. Germain elderflower liqueur (or another elderflower liqueur), peach nectar, white wine, fresh mint, and lemonade.

Slice the peaches, strawberries, and lemon.

Add the St. Germain, peach nectar, and white wine to a punch bowl.

Muddle the liquids together with a spoon.

Stir in the chopped fruits and mint. (Store in the fridge if not using immediately.)

Just before serving, add the chilled lemonade and a few handfuls of ice.

Garnish with sprigs of elderflower, if using, then serve.

If you've enjoyed a good punch before, you may be wondering what makes it different to the standard fruity cocktail. The key difference between a cocktail and a punch is that punch contains much less alcohol than cocktails do, with fruity flavors taking center stage over spirits. Knowing this, you may think that your choice of wine is less important, after all, if it isn't the main flavor, does it matter how good the quality of the ingredient is? The truth is that it matters a lot, and if you want a delicious punch, you'll want to choose all of your ingredients carefully.

Firstly, you'll want to choose a white wine of a high enough quality that you would enjoy drinking it alone by the glass. While you don't need to splurge, there's equally no point in mixing up a punch using wine that you deem only fit for cooking. We recommend choosing a white wine containing flavors that pair with other elements of the punch, so anything that has peachy, citrus or floral elements is great. This recipe is made using a South African Chenin blanc, which has floral, peachy and honey flavors, making it an ideal white wine for this punch. Moscato is another great option that contains both peachy and floral elements, as is Riesling or Chablis. Or, if you happen to have a sauvignon blanc and pinto grigio in the house already, both have citrus and fruity elements that can work well with the elements in this drink.

One of the great things about punch is that it can be made in advance, which is ideal when you are prepping for a party and have lots of things to throw together last minute. In fact, allowing the punch some time to sit is actually a great idea, as it helps the flavors of the fruit and alcohol to stew, producing a tastier end result. Ideally, the fruit and the non-carbonated beverages should be combined anywhere up to 24 hours before you plan to serve the punch. You don't want to leave it any longer than that as the texture of the fruit will deteriorate, but anywhere up to a day will work wonderfully. Simply cover the mixture over and pop it into the fridge until it is time to serve the punch.

Only when it is time to serve the punch to your guests will you want to add the carbonated beverages and the ice. If you add the ice any sooner it will simply melt and water down the flavor of the punch, and, adding the lemonade too soon will similarly cause it to go flat, removing the delightful effervescence of the punch. Luckily, adding these two ingredients takes only a minute, so you can add them right before you plan to serve.