Celebrate Groundhog Day with this crowd-pleasing cocktail, which is a spin on a Greyhound with Paloma vibes and options to use vodka, gin, or tequila. It’s the ultimate customizable drink!
My older son had a Groundhog Day party last year, and we decided he needed a signature drink. What’s a theme party without one??
He chose my all-time favorite cocktail, which is a cross between a Greyhound and a Paloma, and it’s an easy crowd-pleaser. The drink is just three ingredients—grapefruit juice, triple sec, and your choice of vodka, tequila, or gin.
This is the most important part—you call it Punxsutawney Punch! Of course, you could absolutely recycle this cocktail for other theme parties and holidays (why reinvent the wheel?). In other words, it’s all about a great drink plus proper branding!
We filled a big punch bowl, and given the other drink options available, including a generous supply of other beverages brought by guests, I figured there might be a good bit leftover. Punxsutawney Punch was quite the hit though. While bottles of wine, cans of seltzer, and beer remained, the punch bowl was drained.
You can absolutely make Punxsutawney Punch one glass at a time, but for a party, a pitcher or punch bowl are time savers. In the recipe card below, I provide all of these options.
Pro tips:
- Float a few grapefruit or orange slices in the punch.
- Prevent a watered-down drink by starting with cold juice and alcohol. I add a little ice to the punch bowl but keep an ice bucket nearby so people can add to their glass as desired.
- No punch bowl? Make it a pitcher drink.
I’d love to know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @fountainavenuekitchen on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is always appreciated. 💛
Punxsutawney Punch
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka, tequila, or gin*
- ½ ounce triple sec (or Cointreau or another orange-flavored liqueur like)
- 3 ounces grapefruit juice (ruby red is pretty but use your favorite)
- Garnish: lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit slice (a sprig of rosemary or mint is pretty when available)
Instructions
- Pour the vodka, gin, or tequila into an ice-filled glass, followed by the triple sec and grapefruit juice. Add a light squeeze of a small citrus wedge (I like lemon with vodka, lime with tequila, and any of the above with gin–but choose your favorite), drop it in the glass, and give the drink a stir.
Notes
3 cups (720ml) grapefruit juice
½ cup triple sec (or Cointreau)
Garnish: Lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit slices A sugar or salt rim may be added. In this case, sprinkle some coarse salt or sugar in a shallow bowl or plate. Then swipe a wedge of any citrus fruit around the rim of the glass dampen it and dip in the salt or sugar. For a punch bowl (~27 eight-ounce servings), scale up as needed and float a few thin orange or grapefruit slices in the bowl. For my punch bowl, I’ve used two 64-ounce bottles of ruby red grapefruit juice, 8 cups vodka (or liquor of choice), and 2⅔ cups triple sec. * If inclined, citrus-infused liquors, like Absolut Mandrin vodka or Tanqueray Sevilla Orange Gin offer a great way to enhance the citrus flavor.
Leave a Reply