Enjoyed by Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, this warm red-wine punch flavored with cloves, anise, and cinnamon is the quintessential holiday drink. Serve as a nightcap paired with our fresh apple pie recipe to impress any holiday guest.

This punch was featured as part of our Hot Boozy Drinks recipe gallery.

[Ed. note: We noticed the comments from users about this drink being popular in the 18th century. We couldn’t track down our original source on that info, so we’ve removed the reference here.]

  • Yield: 6 – 8 drinks
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 2 hrs, plus overnight infusing
  • Active: 2 hrs

Ingredients (8)

  • 5 medium oranges
  • 1 medium grapefruit
  • 36 whole cloves
  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle medium-bodied red wine, such as Pinot Noir
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 5 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
  • 2 star anise pods
  • 1 (750-milliliter) bottle ruby port

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place the oranges and grapefruit in a baking dish and bake until the bottom of the fruit is lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Using tongs, flip the fruit over and continue baking until the second side is lightly browned, about 20 to 35 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly in the dish. When cool enough to handle, remove the fruit from the dish and stud each piece with 6 cloves; set aside.
  2. Place the red wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and star anise in a large saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add the clove-studded fruit, submerging it in the wine mixture as much as possible (not all the fruit will be covered). Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.
  3. The next day, remove the fruit from the saucepan. Slice each piece in half and juice the halves into a strainer set over a medium bowl. Discard the seeds, cloves, and any large pieces of pulp in the strainer. Add the juice and port to the wine mixture and stir to combine. Place over low heat until the mixture is hot, being careful not to let it boil. If desired, remove the star anise and cinnamon sticks. Serve hot.