VAMPIRE PUNCH


INGREDIENTS1 chilled 25.4-ounce bottle sparkling cider (about 3 1/4
cups)
1 chilled 1-quart bottle cranberry juice cocktail
1 chilled 1-liter bottle club soda or seltzer water
1 cup dark rum if desired For spice syrup:
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
Make spice syrup:
In a small saucepan bring syrup ingredients to a boil, stirring until
sugar is dissolved, and simmer, covered, 5 minutes. Let syrup cool.
Syrup can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, kept in a covered
container or bottle.

In a punch bowl combine remaining ingredients and strain syrup through
a fine sieve into punch. Stir punch and add lots of ice. Makes about
13 cups.
TIP
Dress the punch bowl up with some decorative ice shapes. You can use
food grade plastic gloves to freeze ice for floating hands. Gloves are
available at restaurant supply stores, are made of clear plastic and
have no talc on them. Fill with water or colored water, juice, etc.
and freeze. When hard, remove glove and float in your punch bowl! You
can also look at specialty stores for roll ice cube trays and make
floating eyes, use something red and they become floating blood clots.