Hot Percolator Punch

    After a long winter's nap full of holiday fun, vacation from school, and a bonus few weather days off, I am slowly returning to the real world which also means updating my blog!  A few of these recipes are holdovers from the holiday season so I hope that you will file them away for next year and revisit them.  Some of them are perfect for the entire winter season and I plan to keep making them.  Percolator punch is definitely one I am not putting away for awhile.

    I will forever be grateful for the day my sweet friend Laura appeared in our office door with two steaming cups of her percolator punch for me and my friend Angela to try out.  On a cold winter's day, one sip tasted just like Christmas had arrived!  I fell in love instantly and was so happy when Laura shared the recipe with us.  In fact, she even let me borrow her percolator so that we could brew it for our cookie swap.  It was definitely a hit!

    One of the reasons I am so in love with this recipe is because it is just so old-fashioned.  I treasure time-teseted recipes and this percolator punch certainly fits into that category.  Laura copied the original recipe for us in her sister's handwriting which makes it even more special given that I know Laura's sister passed away before we even became friends.  I hope there is comfort for Laura in looking at her beautiful handwriting and imagining her sister sharing her punch with her friends and family.

   While I don't own a percolator myself, I think I am going to be on the lookout for a used one.  Until I find one, though, I think I might just tie the spices up in a little bit of cheesecloth and baker's twine or even in a coffee filter.  This way I can just drop my little bundle in the a pot with the other ingredients.   I will say, though, that I think the magic comes from the little popping sounds the percolator makes mixed with the spices in the basket.  If you have a percolator yourself, I suggest you try this recipe very soon!  If you don't use all of it at one time, store it in the fridge and then just heat it up cupful by cupful.

Hot Percolator Punch (click on the title for a printable version)

3 C. pineapple juice
3 C. cranberry juice
1 1/2 C. water
1/3 C. light brown sugar
1 1/2 t. whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon, broken
1/8 t. salt

Put juices, water, and brown sugar in a 10 cup (or slightly larger) percolator and mix with a spoon.  Place cloves and cinnamon stick in basket and add salt.  Let percolate as you would coffee.  Makes 10 cups.