For anyone who has ever attended a college party or two in their time, flashbacks of overly sweetened “jungle juice” might instantly come to mind (along with memories of some crazy hangovers the next day after drinking the stuff, perhaps.)
The recipe? It was always simple: combine assorted liquor with assorted juices to end up with a concoction that was potent to drink and seemed to always vary in color—sometimes orange if a lot of pineapple or orange juice was added to the mix, othertimes a greenish color from what had to be a healthy dose (a whole bottle?) of melon liqueur.
Whatever you call it, it’s was a great idea to serve for big, casual parties—and it’s still a good idea today, with some modifications, of course.
These days, I pair back the juices and booze so it’s not a base of “everything and the kitchen sink” anymore. I also generally make mine with better ingredients, like organic juices and seltzer instead of soda which adds fizz without extra sugar. A base of mango and pineapple with a touch of lime juice make it tropical and flavored vodka provides extra kick of flavor.
- 4 cups mango juice
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup Triple Sec
- 2 cups mango vodka or rum (suggested: Smirnoff or Bacardi)
- Sliced limes and oranges
- Frozen mango chunks
- Lime or mango seltzer water (for serving; suggested: LaCroix)
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Combine all ingredients in a plastic container or punch bowl that can hold at least 1-2 gallons.
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Stir and chill until ready to serve. This will make the base of the punch that guests should add seltzer and ice to for serving.
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To serve, guests should combine about 2oz of the mix with 4oz of seltzer.
