A confluence of events, with a side of fruit punch
... Til the one day when banana met papaya, And they knew that it was much more than a hunch, That this group must somehow form a fruit drink, That's the way that they became Hawaiian Punch.
- Mike Rayburn, The Hawaiian Punch song (to the tune of the Brady Bunch song), Postcards from the Road
The other night, a Mike Rayburn CD inspired me to write a post involving Hawaiian Punch. Then today, as I left for work, I got the mail in and found that the September issue of Gourmet was in my mailbox -- and it was "The Music Issue: When Music Meets Food." It must be karma, or something.
As I've gotten older -- I'm close to the ripe old age of 26 now -- I don't drink as much as alcohol as I used to in my college days. Most of the people I hang out with aren't the lush types anymore, either. (Notice I said most.) So when I plan a gathering, I need to have good nonalcoholic drinks available.
This is where Hawaiian Punch comes in.
Hawaiian Punch, you say? You mean that barely-fruit drink that left a red stain around your mouth when we were kids? Don't be surprised -- Hawaiian Punch makes a great, easy base for many punch recipes.
Wedding Punch from www.recipezaar.com
3 cans frozen Hawaiian Punch drink
2 cans frozen orange juice
2 quarts ginger ale (or 7-up or Sprite)
3 cans frozen lemonade
1 quart raspberry sherbet
-- In a large punch bowl, follow the can directions for the frozen juices, and mix in the Hawaiian Punch.
-- After that, scoop in the raspberry sherbet into the bowl and mix it well.
-- Right before you serve, pour the 2 bottles of ginger ale very slowly around the outside edge of your punch bowl.
The good thing about punches like this is that you can change it up however you like -- add cranberry juice instead of orange juice, or substitute frozen pineapple juice ice cubes or a Hawaiian Punch ice mold for the sherbert. The proportions on the above recipe are a good guide to follow when substituting.
