Even as a child, MARY AU was an unabashed lover of music as well as of food. Her mission is to make classical music part of the fabric of everyday life, in settings where both audience and artist can share in the joy of live music.
Feel free to view Mary's music biography, performance schedule, and repertoire lists.
Aunt Dorothy's WEDDING PUNCH
WEDDING PUNCH
From Aunt Dorothy
Mary notes: This punch is great, not too sweet. I typically cut the sugar in half and use the pineapple juice from Trader Joe. Del Monte pineapple juice is ok too. The other reason why I love this drink is that it never gets watered down by ice. The chill is instead provided by frozen chunks of punch base, since the punch base is only mostly defrosted when served; as the chunks melt, they continue to provide flavor the punch.
Makes 100 servings. Best if punch base is made a week ahead of time.
Ingredients:
2 cups of sugar (more if pineapple juice is too tart, less if you don't want it too sweet. The original recipe called for 4 cups of sugar. However, I typically use 2 cups or less)
8 cups of hot water
2 cans of 12 oz. frozen orange juice
2 cans of 6 oz. frozen lemonade
8-10 bananas (ripe)
6 cups of cold water
4 large cans of pineapple juice (46 oz. each)
8 bottles of chilled Ginger Ale (1-liter bottles, or the largest size you can get)
For the punch base:
1. Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in 8 cups of hot water.
2. Add frozen orange juice and lemonade to the hot water. Stir until they have melted.
3. Mash bananas or blend in blender until soft, then blend into 6 cups of cold water.
4. Add pineapple juice and banana blend to the juice. Mix well.
5. Divide into 4 portions for freezing.
6. Freeze for at least overnight. Best if punch base is made a week ahead of time.
Serving the punch:
1. 2 hours before serving, take the punch base portions out of the freezer and let them defrost on the counter.
2. Pour one portion of punch base into a punch bowl and add 2 large bottles of chilled ginger ale to base, immediately prior to serving.
3. Stir mixture and serve. Some of the punch base should still be icy and will keep the punch cold. Do not add ice to the punch as it will water down your drink.
Notes:
1. If your punch bowl is small, you should freeze the punch base in 8 containers instead of 4.
2. If you have frozen the punch base in 8 containers, defrost time will be shortened to one hour instead of two, and before serving, you will add 1 large ginger ale to each portion instead of 2 ginger ales.
3. Best if punch base is made a week ahead of time.
4. You can cut the recipe in half.
Enjoy!