Picnic punch

This punch mixture can be made at home and mixed when you arrive at your picnic. It’s delicious with sparkling wine for the adults, or with soda water for the kids. The secret to this recipe is the fresh ginger juice. It’s a light and refreshing drink with just a hint of spice.

• makes

  2L

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 220 g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced
• ½ cup grated ginger, squeezed in cheesecloth to extract juice
• 100 ml elderflower cordial (optional)
• 5 cumquats, thinly sliced, to serve
• 1 lime, thinly sliced, to serve
• ice cubes, to serve
• 750 ml sparkling wine or soda water
• 100 ml Grand Marnier (optional)

Instructions

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring it to the boil then remove from the heat. Transfer to a jug and set aside to cool completely.

Place a funnel into a 2-litre glass bottle. Pour in the sugar syrup, lemon, orange and ginger juice and elderflower cordial (if using). Close with a lid and shake the bottle to combine.

To serve, place the cumquat and lime slices in a large jar with ice. Pour in the punch mixture and mix with sparkling wine or soda water. You can add a touch of Grand Marnier also if you wish.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.