Well, it’s July 22nd, people. We hate to break it to ya, the month is basically…over. August is just a stone’s throw away and you know that means. The dog days of summer are here! The hottest heat, sultry nights and the laziest weekend {or weekday!} afternoons. Thankfully, we have a few more chances to hit the beach, host a BBQ…or have good friends over and well, get drunk. Punch drunk, that is!

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Punch isn’t a drink that we often turn to and we’re trying to figure out why?! Sure, it still reminds us of bad college parties, but punch really gets an undeserved bad rap. It’s actually THE ideal drink to serve at a summer event. It looks gorgeous with just a few garnishes and it’s the least high maintenance option ever! No funny balancing acts with martini glasses or mixing fancy-schmancy signature cocktails one by one. But punches also shouldn’t resemble the bright pink options of our past. We decided there had to be a better option! So the team sat down and concocted the perfect recipe which includes two of our bar staples: St. Germain + Champs!

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The French Tropics Summer Punch

Ingredients:
– 1 cup vodka
– ¾ cup st germain
– 2 cups champagne
– 1 cup pineapple juice
– 1 cup orange juice
– ¼ simple syrup

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a punch bowl except for the champagne. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Pour champagne into punch bowl. Add ice cubes to glasses and ladle punch in.

Ice cubes:

Zest 1 grapefruit and 1 lemon. Place water in ice cube tray {we used 1″x1″} and sprinkle citrus zest evenly among the tray.

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The most brilliant part of punch; you simply put a huge chunk of ice in it right before the party and fahgetaboudit! If you want to get fancy, make pretty ice cubes with citrus zest or even flower petals for guests to put in their glasses. We threw a dahlia from the garden into our punch bowl for garnish too! Soooo easy and pretty, right?

We also stuck with the theme of simple when it came to our appetizer idea: a classic charcuterie plate provides a beautiful variety of things to munch on. We went with a top notch prosciutto, salami and crackers, then mixed things up with crisp veggie chips, spicy dried peas and some salty {and deliciously green!} castelvetrano olives. Save cooking up a crazy gourmet spread for cooler times. In the thick of summer heat there’s really not much more you need.

With this punch and a great mix of light bites, you’re set to invite a few, or five, girlfriends over for a bit of summer fun! But please remember, always drink responsibly!!

 

original photography for apartment 34 by Aubrie Pick // art direction by Bianca Sotelo // styling by Apartment 34

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11 Comments

  1. Beautiful styling! Would love to know the source of the punch bowl and its wooden platform.

    Happy Tuesday,

    Casey