How to Make a Muscato Punch w/ Honey Ginger Shrub
A Crowd-Pleasing, Lite, Refreshing Moscato Punch for Your Next Party
A cool tank of Moscato punch on a hot summer day. What could be more enticing?
If you’re looking for the perfect crowd-pleasing beverage to bring along to your next potluck, picnic or party, Moscato Punch should be at the top of your list.
The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find at your local grocery store, the recipe is simple and straightforward, and you can make Moscato Punch in a big batch for people to serve themselves throughout the party.
If you have one, consider serving Moscato Punch in a one gallon glass beverage dispenser with a spout for a fancy (and convenient!) presentation. Do not buy a large done. One gallon looks full, and can be refilled and refreshed. Alternatively, any pitcher you can dig out of your kitchen cabinets will do just fine!
Here’s what you’ll need to make this crowd-pleasing beverage.
Moscato Punch Ingredients
Moscato Wine - 750 ml bottle
Moscato is a sweet wine with a low alcohol level of 5-7% ABV. In this recipe it gets diluted even more with the other ingredients. It’s a very common and inexpensive wine and varies greatly in taste and quality.
This Moscato punch recipe uses a whole bottle of moscato. You can grab whatever Moscato you find at your local grocery or liquor store; over time, try different varieties to see which one you like best. Fre sells a NA moscato that works if the party is zero proof.
There are several different styles of Moscato depending on the region where the grapes are grown and the wine is made. Sparkling and semi-sparkling are the most traditional and commonly found in your local store. There’s also still Moscato (no bubbles), pink Moscato, and an extremely sweet dessert version. I recommend the semi-sparkling type, Moscato d’Asti, for this Moscato punch recipe.
If you’d like to tone down the sweetness, you could substitute Prosecco, which is less sweet than Moscato.
Club Soda - (3) 8.5 oz bottles
Using club soda in this Moscato Punch recipe will add more bubbles, a tiny bit of salt, and higher carbonation. It’s the perfect complement to the semi-sparkling Moscato. We love using the Club Soda from our friends at Top Note Tonic.
The four main ingredients for this Muscato punch recipe.
Mad Maiden Honey-Ginger Shrub - 10 oz bottle
Our Honey Ginger Shrub is the perfect choice for this Moscato Punch recipe because the sour of the vinegar and the spiciness of the ginger balance the sweetness of the wine out nicely.
I recommend only using the clear part of the shrub and discarding the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. The carbonation in the recipe tends to hold better when the drink is clear.
Fruit Puree (optional) - 5-10 oz (use enough to add body but not enough to settle)
This ingredient is optional, but will add an additional dimension and depth to the flavor of the punch and body.
Choose a fruit puree that speaks to your favorite flavors. Peach, apricot or passionfruit all work very well in this recipe. If possible, use a frozen puree which has the added benefit of helping to chill this cold Moscato Punch. The last time I made this recipe I used the Goya passion fruit puree from my local grocery store.
You can also make your own puree using canned peaches, defrosting frozen peaches, or hydrating dried apricots by simmering in hot water until they break down.
The purees sold in the liquor aisle have sugar added but come in easy to use squeeze bottles. Local jam, some sold in tiny jars, can be used for drink recipes like this and for eating!
Lime or Orange Wheels
Did you know that oranges have volatile oils in their zest, but limes don’t? The volatile oils help perfume the drink, so I prefer oranges in this recipe. You’ll need one large orange or two small ones for this recipe.
Beverage Dispenser
This recipe fits perfectly into a one-gallon beverage dispenser or a couple of pitchers.
Ice
Keep in mind that melting ice dilutes the flavor of the punch, creating a more watery flavor over time. Instead of adding all the ice to the serving container, consider providing an insulated ice bucket with tongs at the serving station so guests can add ice when pouring their own drink.
Moscato Punch Recipe Card
Moscato Punch with Honey Ginger Shrub
Ingredients
Instructions
- Chill glass container (drink dispenser, bowl, pitcher,) if possible.
- Add 750 ml bottle of Moscato Wine to the container.
- Mix in (3) 8.5 oz bottles of Club Soda.
- Add (1) 10 oz bottle of Mad Maiden Honey-Ginger Shrub. Discard any sediment from the bottom of the bottle.
- Optional: Add 5-10 oz of frozen fruit puree and mix.
- Add ice (or keep on the side in an insulated container). Stir enough to mix, but not melt, the ice.
- Use a knife to slice the orange and/or lime into wheels and add them to the container.
Notes:
This Moscato Punch tastes best and holds the carbonation longer when its cold, so take care to make it right before serving.
Adding Mad Maiden honey ginger shrub to my Moscato punch at a farmer’s market event.
Last Thoughts on Moscato Punch
I’ll leave you with this fun tidbit about carbonating responsibly:
“That old saw about champagne going to your head is not a myth. Alcohol is absorbed mainly in your small intestine, not your stomach. The faster the alcohol gets into your small intestine, the faster you can absorb it and the faster, and higher, your blood alcohol content (BAC) can spike.
The current wisdom is that the CO2 in drinks helps speed gastric emptying into your small intestines, causing a rapid rise in BAC. Compounding the issue, people are accustomed to drinking carbonated drinks rather quickly, so they do, regardless of alcohol content.
The takeaway message here is to keep the alcohol levels of your carbonated drinks down.” ~Dave Arnold, Liquid Intelligence