Pomegranate Champagne Punch

Beverages, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day / Friday, May 13th, 2011

Pomegranate Punch

After a week of soaking in the Delta sun, Jeff and I came home to a yard full of newly molted 13-year cicadas. Big, red-eyed bugs who crawl out of the ground to shed their skin on trees, eat and make babies with the first cicada who’ll have them.

Right now, they’re swarming Nashville, bleary-eyed and horny as hell, chirping a 120-decibel mating call. I like to imagine that, to a female cicada, the song sounds like “At Last” or “The Very Thought of You,” but I have a feeling that it goes something more like, “Hey, Girl! Girl! GIRL! Can I holla atcha? Can I holla atcha? CAN I HOLLA-HOLLA-HOLLA-HOLLA-HOLLA?”

Tonight, we’re going to sit outside and toast our winged friends with this Pomegranate Champagne Punch. I’m usually not big on pomegranate, but the pear nectar in the punch smooths its edges, so you get a drink that’s easy sipping. Perfect for a few minutes spent quietly listening to the cicadas – a million horny voices singing songs that won’t be heard for a decade.

If only they’d learn some Marvin Gaye.

Pomegranate Champagne Punch

Adapted from “Everyday Food” (December 2006)

Makes about 8 servings

  • 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
  • 1 cup pear nectar
  • 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier
  • 1 bottle (750 ml) cheap Champagne or Prosecco
  1. In a large pitcher, combine pomegranate juice, pear nectar and orange-flavored liqueur.
  2. Slowly add Champagne or Prosecco.
  3. Serve over ice.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving) – calories: 134, fat: 0, carbs: 17g, fiber: 0.2g, protein: 0.2g, PP+ = 5

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12 thoughts on “Pomegranate Champagne Punch”

  1. I am dying over here! You're soooo right about the cicadas! I had never ever been around cicadas growing up…but then I moved to Kansas for college and I was introduced to the 'swan song' that is their mating ritual. Sooooooo sooooooo annoying! Oh, cicadas!

  2. Stupid question! Where do you find Peach Nectar? I'm so glad the Cicadas are not popping up here right now. We had ours in 2004 and i just about died from screaming so much! I hate that annoying buzzing sound. I never understand their purpose?

  3. This sounds fabulous! Prosecco is on of my favorite sparkling wines.

    The bug situation though.. does not sound fun!! I can't believe how loud they can get.

  8. Cicadas are a pain. Here in AZ, the scorpions love them for dinner (I guess if I were a scorpion, dining on a big, fat cicada might be kind of like dining with Henry VIII, so I suppose I get it), and their shells are all over the backyard. YUCK!
    However, if I had a lovely, refreshing drink like this, I might be cool with the Barry Whites of the insect world.
    I usually am lazy – prosecco or cava with a fruit-based simple syrup (grapefruit is my current fave), but this recipe… I could do this…. Thanks for the tip!
    PS – love the name of your blog; puns are my most favoritest thing ever.
    Allison @ Decadent Philistines Save the World http://decadentphilistines.blogspot.com

  9. Cicadas – ew. Your punch – looks fabulous!

    @ChellBellz, I can usually find peach or pear nectar in the international/ethnic aisle of my grocery store – it's sold in cans just like soda.

  10. Mmmm this sounds so good. I wish the weather would get warmer around these parts so I could sit outside and enjoy it!

  11. this punch sounds lovely. i will have to try when the dog days/warm weather finally hits nj- we've had no spring this year.

    as for cicadas, i salute you! you are a brave woman to be outside. we had a huge molting 15 years ago, and i did not venture into my backyard that entire summer (our first in our new home!) as they and their exoskeletons totally freaked me out.

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