Cranberry and Mint Tea Holiday Punch | i should be mopping the floor
Homepage Projects and Crafts Free Fonts Free Printables and SVG Files Printables Journals and Planners Facebook Covers and Device Wallpapers Spring Projects and Printables


Cranberry and Mint Tea Holiday Punch

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Bigelow Tea. 
All opinions are mine alone.

This Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch is perfect for all of your holiday gatherings.
The base of it is Bigelow's Plantation Mint Tea...one of my favorite blends!
#BigelowVIP #AmericasTea #CollectiveBias 
Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
I love a good holiday drink. This one not only marries the flavors of the season, but also the colors! The Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea is the perfect flavor for this...so subtle, but so delicious. Check out the recipe, along with the history of this tea blend, below.


Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
I've loved Bigelow's Plantation Mint Tea for years...in the summer, it makes the perfect southern sweet tea {a staple in Texas}. I'm loving this recipe to use Plantation Mint during the holidays as well. The way this blend was born is such a sweet story, too.

Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
Pictured above is Eunice Bigelow
{I took this photo at the Bigelow Tea Headquarters last month}

Eunice Bigelow knew that her mother-in-law, Ruth Bigelow, was a fan of peppermint. But, Eunice loved spearmint. Every time Eunice mentioned spearmint to Ruth, she didn't show much interest. So, Eunice took matters into her own hands. She and her husband, David Bigelow, started experimenting with the flavors behind closed doors. They tried tea after tea to find the perfect combination. Then they set out to find a spearmint grown in the USA. They fell in love with one from a farm out west. Once their perfect blend was created, they had to figure out how to share it with Ruth...and they were a bit nervous. David came up with the perfect plan. On Mother's Day that year, they gave Ruth her gift, the very first box of Plantation Mint! She gave them a funny look and then decided to try it. She LOVED it! They still smile about that story many years later.
{source: Bigelow Tea}

You can pick up a box of Bigelow's Plantation Mint Tea at Walmart. Bigelow Tea is All American: 100% American made by an American Family; an American Company for the American consumer. Available at an American Retailer.

Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
This punch starts with a simple syrup made from sugar, water and cranberries.
Oh, how I love to hear cranberries popping on the stove top!


Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
The simple syrup is strained...but I try to get as much juice out of all of the berries as I can by using the back of my spoon on them in the strainer.


Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
Then I pour my brewed Plantation Mint Tea over the cranberries as well, so it can go into the same bowl with the cranberry simple syrup. Here's the complete recipe:


Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch
Serves 12

Ingredients:
  • five bags of Bigelow Plantation Mint Tea
  • four cups of boiling water
  • 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries {you can set a few aside for garnish, if you like}
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups of water
  • 2 limes
  • mint leaves
  • 1 liter bottle of club soda
Directions:
Begin by pouring your boiling water over your tea bags in a large glass measuring cup, or a small bowl {4 cup size}. Allow it to steep while you turn your attention to the cranberry simple syrup {it will steep quite a bit longer than for a normal cup of tea}.
Pour cranberries, sugar and 1 1/2 cups water into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat to boiling and allow cranberries to start popping for a minute or two. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow mixture to come to room temperature.
Strain your cranberry syrup into a large batter bowl {not required to use this bowl...it just makes it easier to pour later}. Use the back of a spoon to mash the cranberries and get all of the juice you can out of them. It starts to look a bit pulpy in the strainer and that's okay. Pour your steeped tea over the pulp, through the strainer, and into the large bowl with the cranberry simple syrup.
To serve, you can either use a punch bowl or just prepare in individual glasses. Start with juicing the two limes into the punch bowl, or adding a teaspoon of lime juice into the bottom of each glass. The lime just gives this punch a nice kick. Add fresh mint leaves to your punch bowl or glasses {about five leaves per glass}. Add ice and pour your cranberry and tea mixture in the punch bowl, or about halfway up each glass. Top with the club soda and serve. Can garnish with extra cranberries, if desired. 



Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
This is a really light and lovely holiday drink.

Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
And aren't the colors so pretty?

Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.
This drink is just one more reason for me to love Plantation Mint tea.

Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.


For more TEA-riffic inspiration, check out Bigelow's Facebook page here and
their Twitter page here.


Cranberry and Mint Holiday Punch | Perfect for holiday dinners and gatherings.



26 comments:

  1. Plantation Mint is one of my family's favorite! We always have it in our house. This drink sounds delicious and perfect for the holiday season. Thanks so much for the recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mint Cranberry??? that sounds amazing! YUM!! I love flavored ice tea... dreaming about this right now ;o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is, Emily! It's a perfect combination! Thank you bunches for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Your photos are incredible! I can't stop looking at them and how perfect they are! My mom has been drinking Bigelow tea since I was a little girl and it's one of my fondest memories of childhood... smelling it brewing as I came downstairs each morning and seeing her little tag hanging over the side of her mug! I just LOVE that you shared some of the history of the company with us and how lucky are you that you got to visit their headquarters!? I will definitely be making this for my mom very soon! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are too sweet, Natalie! Thank you so much for your sweet words! It was a blessing to have such an amazing opportunity!

      Delete
  4. Yummers! Sounds like an explosion of flavor ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Anne! Thank you bunches for stopping by!

      Delete
  6. Can I make the base ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator? If yes, how long in advance, or may I freeze it? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! I would probably make it no more than a day in advance--just to make sure it is nice and fresh! I haven't tried freezing yet, but I'm sure it would be fine! Great questions! Thank you bunches for stopping by, Cece!

      Delete
  7. This punch looks absolutely amazing. Incredibly refreshing, perfect to perk you up in the afternoon or to drink on a balmy summer evening :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. This punch looks and sounds amazing! I love reading the history behind the tea. #client

    ReplyDelete
  9. Instead of adding the lime juice, club soda and mint leaves to glasses individually, could I just add it all to the punch in the punch bowl? The guests could just scoop some of their own serving size of punch?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Summer is the right time for a casual get together, a summer holiday party theme I just saw relies on frosty drinks (and a variety of them) to cool everyone off. Now I want to find more fabulous looking summer drink recipes from my stack of magazines.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Me and my wife are having guest on Sunday. I'm going to make this punch. Looks tasty.
    Adam, Camberwell

    ReplyDelete
  12. This punch looks great for any time of year. Pinning.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Could I add alcohol to this? Maybe vodka?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely. You could also do champagne or sparkling wine in place of the Club Soda. Cheers!

      Delete