Driveaway delicious, fruit cocktails

Punch was once considered a notoriously lethal alcoholic drink when I was in my late teens. What started off with a couple of bottles of Spanish Sangria and some chopped fruit, through the sly hand of various people adding various spirits to the mix, was turned into a potent overproof drink with an alcoholic content close to hand sanitizer. I may be slightly exaggerating but to this day I will never forget the night I was sworn off punch for life.

Decades on I am confident that no one will spike our non-alcohol punch planned for the festive season. Firstly, because we are now far too old for such antics and secondly because alcohol consumption is on the decline. In 2021 sales in alcohol in Australia dropped 1.4 percent while the low and no alcohol segment in Australia grew 2.9 percent. Market researchers predict the no and low alcohol segment will grow by 16 percent between now and 2024 and make it one of the fastest-growing segments in the market. Given the acceptance of non-alcoholic drinks, we thought we would look at some delicious fresh fruit punch ideas that you can drink freely and still drive away at the end of the party.

Watermelon and strawberry punch

4 cups, fresh unseeded watermelon
1 punnet strawberries, sliced
1 cup of ice
1 tbs lime juice
250 ml soda water
A few sprigs of mint leaves

Place the watermelon, half the strawberries, ice, and lime in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Top up with soda and serve with the remaining strawberries and mint leaves

Peach, ginger, and lemon kombucha

2 peaches, seed removed and sliced
1 lemon, zest, and juice
500 ml soda water
450 ml ginger kombucha
Place one of the peaches in a blender with the juice and zest of a lemon. Add the soda water and blend until smooth.
Transfer to a jug and stir through the ginger kombucha.
Serve with the remaining peach slices

Mango and orange sunrise

80 ml pomegranate juice
50 g caster sugar
2 mangoes, seeds removed
2 cup orange juice
4 cups soda water

In a small saucepan, heat the pomegranate juice and sugar gently until the sugar has melted. Set aside to cool.
Blend the mangoes, orange juice, and soda together until smooth.
Divide evenly into 4 glasses.
Use a measuring spoon to measure equal amounts of the pomegranate syrup into each glass.
Serve with ice

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