Lemon Champagne Punch

Serve up a pitcher of Lemon Champagne Punch made with sweet Meyer lemons to celebrate everything from summer to New Year’s. It’s so much better than lemonade and is the best drink for any special occasion.

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Lemon Champagne Punch recipe

Dreaming up a party menu is easily my favorite part of planning a get-together, but there is one place I struggle sometimes: party cocktails.

Though I am usually excel at making cocktails for a small crowd, I have a hard time coming up with a drink that a large group can enjoy. For a summer party, I typically turn to margarita sangria, but I like to have options for other occasions.

Enter this champagne party punch, perfect for any special occasion and so easy to serve to a large crowd! You can make this lemon champagne punch before guests even arrive and then serve it all night long without having to do lots of repetitive steps like juicing citrus or measuring liquids. It’s like a lemon drop cocktail, but so much better.

Instead, you are left with more time to be with your guests. Mingle, don’t muddle, in other words! This large batch cocktail is always a crowd pleaser and something everyone will enjoy.

Make the best champagne punch with just a few ingredients, and then take the night off from being bar tender and just enjoy your party!

More champagne recipes: Peach Bellini • Champagne Margaritas • Classic Champagne Cocktail • Limoncello Spritz

Why you’ll love this recipe

This easy peasy recipe is tasty for any gathering. Your guests will love it and you’ll love how easy it is to put together!

• This recipe is good for holiday parties, bridal showers, and everything in between. It will be a hit at any party where you need to serve a lot of people.
• You can make this drink ahead of time. Make the lemon mixture and chill the bottle of champagne, and once you’re ready to serve then mix the two together.
• Easily double or triple this recipe so that this crowd favorite drink can serve the entire crowd that you are hosting.

Tools & glassware

You can use any glasses you’d like to serve this citrus champagne punch, just make sure you can rim them with a lemon-sugar rim.

You will also need a medium to large pitcher, or a large punch bowl with a ladle.

Make sure you have a lemon zester and lemon juicer, and a plate to rim each champagne glass.

Ingredients

A few simple ingredients and simple steps — you’ll have the yummiest large batch party cocktail ever! Here is what you need to have on hand:

• fresh Meyer lemon juice
• vodka
• limoncello — make homemade limoncello if you’re up for the challenge!
• chilled brut champagne or sparkling wine
• ice cubes
• Meyer lemon zest
• sugar

Substitutions & variations

While this recipe calls for brut champagne, but you can use another type of champagne if you prefer. Pink champagne would change the flavor and make the color extra fun! You can also substitute sparkling wine or sparkling moscato wine.

Feel free to add fresh fruit to this citrus champagne to give it more flavor and a little something pretty!

Fresh Meyer lemon juice is the base of this lemon champagne. But you can swap that out or add extra juice to it too. Pineapple juice, orange juice and pomegranate juice would all pair well with lemon or stand on their own as a substitute.

Add extra bubbles with lemon-lime soda or club soda! A super fizzy drink with delicious fruity flavors is the most festive drink for a special occasion.

How to make Lemon Champagne Punch

Here’s how to make this party punch recipe:

Add the Meyer lemon juice, vodka, and limoncello to a medium pitcher, then chill in the fridge for about 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, add the champagne and ice to the lemon mixture. Stir well until the entire pitcher of punch is icy cold.

Then strain into eight sugar-rimmed glasses and serve with lemon slices or other citrus slices. You can also garnish with a mint sprig for a pretty look!

Tips & tricks

Here are some tips and tricks for making this recipe:

• Instead of keeping the champagne punch cold with regular ice cubes, use flower ice cubes or berry ice cubes that compliment the beautiful color of the punch. They’re the perfect finishing touch.
• For best results, refrigerate the champagne before adding it to the lemon punch mixture. This will help make the whole punch more cold and keep it chilled longer.
• If you are serving this in a punch bowl and know it will be sitting out for a long time, use an ice ring instead of ice cubes. It will melt more slowly and won’t water down the punch. You can make an ice ring in a bundt pan!

And if you have leftover limoncello, use it to make limoncello lemonade!

What to serve with Meyer Lemon Champagne Punch

This cocktail would be perfect for a big brunch or evening cocktail party.

Great recipe ideas like this need great snacks to go with them. Whipped feta dip and fresh pita chips would be so yummy with the citrus flavors of this drink! At a summer party, you could pair this easy drink with cilantro pineapple salsa and crunchy tortilla chips.

If you need some easy to share snacks, a charcuterie board, popcorn shrimp, and marinated cheese are all so delicious! Spice up parties and pair this lemon champagne punch with blackened steak and blue cheese nachos.

FAQ

More party cocktail recipes

• Elderflower French 75 Cocktail
• Pineapple Mango Tiki Punch
• Frozen Sangria
• Watermelon Orange Margarita Punch
• Frozen Mojito

Reprinted with permission from Punch Bowls and Pitcher Drinks: Recipes for Delicious Big-Batch Cocktails by Jeanne Kelley and Sarah Tenaglia. Copyright © by Clarkson Potter/Publishers. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.