Looking for a summer cocktail to sip on? Try our summer punch made with fresh raspberry juice, vodka, mint, and a splash of ginger beer all served over sorbet.
Ultimate Summer Cocktail to Share
The sweet heat of summer is here and we’ve got you covered with our ultimate summer punch recipe!
We love making large batch cocktails like our frosé recipe to share because they’re easy to measure out, and of course, share.
If you’ve never had summer punch, let us explain what this deliciousness is. Our punch features fresh raspberry juice, lime juice, vodka, and ginger beer all served over sorbet. Sorry, not sorry.
Tools Needed
Before you get started, you’ll need a few kitchen tools.
Simple Ingredients
- Honey: honey is the main sweetener in this recipe. We love that it’s all-natural and slightly sweet. Feel free to also use regular sugar or simple syrup.
- Raspberries: fresh raspberries are used to make a raspberry juice as the main liquid for the punch. It’s so delicious.
- Fresh herbs: you need both mint and basil for this recipe. Don’t skip either and please don’t use dried spices!
- Lime juice: fresh lime juice is always best. None of that bottled stuff.
- Vodka: our choice in liquor is vodka. White rum or floral gin would also be delicious in this summer punch recipe.
- Ginger beer: ginger beer adds a slight ginger flavor plus a little more sweetness. Make sure to use ginger beer and not ginger ale.
- Sorbet: you can use any kind of sorbet, but we stuck with the raspberry theme and used Talenti Raspberry.
Try it!
Honey Simple Syrup
Our go-to honey simple syrup recipe is an excellent all-natural simple syrup and so easy to make. It’s delicious in cocktails, lemonade, and even in some baking recipes!
How to Make this Raspberry Vodka Punch
Simmer Raspberries
Whisk water and honey in a small saucepan. Then add raspberries and mint leaves. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain Berries & Chill
Strain the berries using a fine mesh strainer then discard the berries. Chill the honey raspberry juice in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.
Combine in Pitcher
Add the raspberry juice to a large pitcher along with the lime juice and vodka. Mix to combine. Add mint, basil, and ice and mix again.
Add Sorbet
Top the punch with ginger beer and fresh scoops of sorbet.
Serve
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Optional Garnishes
Jazz up your punch with some fun garnishes to really bring this summer cocktail to life!
- Fresh mint
- Fresh raspberries
- Sliced lime
- Straw
Summer Vodka Punch Recipe
This summer punch is so refreshing and made with simple ingredients. You’ll need fresh raspberries, lime juice, vodka, ginger beer, and sorbet.
Prep:40 minutes
Cook:15 minutes
Total:55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 pints fresh raspberries
- 7 leaves fresh mint divided
- 1 cup fresh lime juice
- 12 oz. vodka ~1.5 cups
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- 1.5 cups ginger beer not ginger ale
- 1 cup raspberry sorbet 3 or 4 scoops + more for serving
Instructions
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Add water and the honey to a small saucepan. Whisk the two ingredients together.
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Add the raspberries and 5 leaves of fresh mint to the pot. Bring the water to a boil over medium/high heat. Turn the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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When the water has turned a bright berry color, remove the saucepan from the heat. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and catch the raspberry water in a bowl. Discard the raspberry seeds.
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Place the raspberry water in the refrigerator and let it cool for 15-20 minutes (or place in the freezer for a faster chill).
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When the raspberry water has cooled, add the raspberry water to a large pitcher. Add the lime juice and vodka to the raspberry water and stir to combine.
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Add the rest of the fresh mint, fresh basil, and 2-3 cups of ice to the pitcher. Stir to combine.
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Top the punch with the ginger beer and add the scoops of raspberry sorbet to the pitcher.
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Serve in punch glasses and garnish with fresh basil, fresh mint, and a small scoop of sorbet (if you’d like).
Tips & Notes
- We used Trader Joe’s Ginger Beer. We prefer a spicier ginger beer for this recipe.
- Feel free to skip the sorbet or wait to add the sorbet until you serve the punch in glasses.
Nutrition facts
Calories: 291kcal Carbohydrates: 40g Protein: 2g Fat: 1g Fiber: 11g Sugar: 25g
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Ashley McGlaughlin from The Edible Perspective.
