Spiked Cold Cranberry Punch

• This ruby colored punch is full of fruity flavor and light enough to pair with heavy holiday meals in fall and winter, but it is refreshing enough on a hot summer day. Whip up a batch for a party with family or friends; just make sure everyone knows it is “spiked” beforehand.

  The ingredients for a batch that serves 20 people are as follows: 1 qt. cranberry juice, 16 oz. pineapple juice, 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup bourbon, 1 cup rum and 2 qts. chilled ginger ale. Chill a serving bowl in advance. Combine the juices, rum and bourbon, and mix well. Chill the mixture for an hour or until it is cool, and then pour it into a serving bowl. Add chilled ginger ale and serve.

Big Mac Daddy

• This simple and easy-to-make cocktail includes fresh raspberries, which contrast the naturally tart flavor of cranberries. Any sweet, in-season berry, such as strawberry chunks, cherry halves, or blackberries, may also be substituted for raspberries.

  To make one cocktail, combine one part Disaronno amaretto, eight raspberries and two parts cranberry juice. Shake the mixture with cubed ice in a cocktail shaker until it is cold. Strain it into an ice-filled cocktail glass. Top the mixture with ginger ale, and garnish it with a raspberry.

Grateful Cranberry Cocktail

• The Grateful Cranberry cocktail is perfect for the adventurous and those interested in trying something new. Frozen cranberries keep it fresh and cool, and unique flavors and a homemade syrup make this drink an ideal choice to impress your friends on special occasions.

  Fill a Collins glass three-fourths of the way with a mix of crushed ice and frozen cranberries. Pour in 1 1/2 oz. bourbon and 1 oz. cranberry-honey syrup (see below), and top the mixture with green tea-flavored ginger ale.

  To make the cranberry-honey syrup, boil one part water, one part honey and one part cranberries. Strain out the solids. Refrigerate the syrup.