Thanksgiving Spiced Apple Cider Punch

it's fall ya'll....and almost time for Thanksgiving! i love this time of year because of the fall colors...it has to be one of my most favorite color schemes of all the seasons. plus, THE FOOD. i love all the food served at Thanksgiving time, best of all, the appetizers and desserts. believe it or not, i could skip the Turkey dinner and just eat appetizers, dips and pie. so now it's time to start planning the holiday meals. if you are looking for a nice drink to serve with your dessert or appetizers, this Thanksgiving Spiced Apple Cider Punch is a good recipe. it has all the spice and flavors of fall, and is meant to be served cold...and sipped during the meal.

to make this Thanksgiving Spiced Apple Cider Punch, you will need a bunch of your holiday favorites; the main ingredients are apple cider, cranberry pomegranate juice and ginger ale.
then you will add cloves, cinnamon sticks, apples, oranges, lemons, Sweet'N Low, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla to spice it up. and remember, that with this punch you can adjust the flavors to your liking. if you like more spice...add more, if you like it sweeter, add more Sweet'N Low or maple syrup, if you don't like molasses, leave it out. you will be cooking the apple cider, cranberry-pomegrante juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, oranges and lemon over medium heat. stirring until it comes to a slight boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. you will then, remove it from the heat, and strain mixture. discard the oranges, lemon, cloves and cinnamon sticks, and then return the punch to the pot. now add the maple syrup, molasses and Sweet'N Low and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. remove from heat and add vanilla. since this punch is meant to be served cold, let the punch cool down. adjust the flavors as you wish, and then refrigerate overnight. it will taste even better the next day.
when you are ready to serve, you will fill your glasses with fruit garnish and a cinnamon stick, and then pour the cider and ginger ale over the top. freezing your fruit will make it act like ice cubes, so i highly recommend it. 

this Thanksgiving Spiced Apple Cider Punch is a great compliment to your Thanksgiving dinner as served as an appetizer or even during the meal. the colors in the drink are so festive and fun. and pssst, using the Sweet 'N Low cuts down on the extra calories of added sugar....plus, i can't tell the difference. you can add more or less according to your taste.

ingredients
1 gallon apple cider
4 cups Ginger ale soda
2 cups 100% cranberry pomegranate juice (with no sugar added)
30 whole cloves (see note below)
2 oranges, cut up
1 lemon, cut up
½ cup pure maple syrup
10 - 12 packets Sweet'N Low
1 teaspoon molasses
8 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish - green apple, red apple, oranges, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon sticks

directions
In a stock pot, add apple cider, cranberry-pomegrante juice, cinnamon sticks, cloves, oranges and lemon and stir over medium heat. Once it comes to a slight boil, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. remove from heat, and strain mixture. discard the oranges, lemon, cloves and cinnamon sticks, and then return the punch to the pot. now add the maple syrup, molasses and Sweet'N Low. simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. remove from heat and add vanilla. Let the punch cool down. Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve:

For the garnish, add small pieces of red apples, green apples, oranges, pomegranate seeds and a cinnamon stick to each glass.

Place the garnish fruit into glasses, filling about a ¼ full. Pour the cold spiced apple cider into the glasses ½ full and fill the rest with ginger ale on top. (you can also add the ginger ale to the punch before serving.
Serve and enjoy!

tip: freeze your garnish fruit on a baking tray, and use them as ice cubes and keep your punch cold.

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday...what are you planning on cooking?

{ disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I am an Ambassador for Sweet'N Low. All thoughts and opinions are my own. }