Champagne Holiday Punch

San Francisco mixologist Erick Castro taught us how to make this easy holiday punch. It’s a flexible recipe that works with almost any base spirit. Here we use genever, blended with orange curaçao, simple syrup, bitters, sparkling water, lemon juice, sparkling wine, and a touch of grated nutmeg. Garnish with pineapple slices and whole star anise before serving. You’ll need to make a batch of Rich Simple Syrup and freeze a large block of punch ice before you begin. See how to open a Champagne bottle too, in a way that’s safe and that preserves its sparkle.

What to buy: Infused with botanicals like juniper just like London-style gin, genever (a.k.a. Holland or Dutch gin) is a maltier, funkier relative that mixes very well in cocktails. Anchor Distilling and Bols make good versions.