white punch bowl full of punch

Several folks asked for the punch recipe we used for Chitter’s recent baby shower. The recipe is very common in our area and I think it is fairly common across the United States.

I really like punch but never ever make it at home and don’t really know anyone who does. I suppose like me, most people only partake of punch when attending a shower or other type of party.

Old Fashioned Punch

  • 1 package jello (3 ounces) any color (we use lemon)
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 large can pineapple juice
  • 2 quarts of water
  • 16 ounces of lemon juice
  • 2 quarts ginger ale or sprite (we use ginger ale)
  • Sherbet (optional) (we use rainbow sherbet)

Mix jello, boiling water, and sugar. Stir until jello and sugar are dissolved. Add pineapple juice, lemon juice, and water and mix well. Mixture can be stored in refrigerator until needed.

Just before serving stir in ginger ale or sprite and add sherbet.

The color of jello determines the color of the punch. Serves about 30 people.

Last night’s video: Matt’s Pizza Accident, Vampeers, & Another Raised Bed Installed!

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33 Comments

  1. We have a similar recipe, we use strawberry Koolaid instead of Jello and we add 16oz of frozen orange juice instead of the icecream….we do make outs at home once in a great while (sometimes for Christmas or birthdays.) I’ve had your recipe and it is just awesome, our version is partially frozen and served as a slushy, it’s not quite as rich as yours.

    1. Cathy-great catch! Thank you 🙂 Corie, Chatter made the punch, so I had her on my mind but you are right it should have been Chitter. I updated the post 🙂

  2. The punch is bright and colorful. Tasteful too. But goodness gracious it’s so sweet. I’m sure it has a good amount of calories and with all the other rich foods at showers and parties I’d have to pass on the punch. Not trying to be a negative Nellie, I’d rather have good food. Have a wonderful week and enjoy this beautiful day. Here in South Mississippi anyway hope it’s there too. Give your momma a hug for me and praying for all the family. Y’all have a lot going on this spring and summer, it wears me out thinking about it all. LOL! Bye for now.

  3. Haven’t had this punch for a while now. We used to see it at church functions, wedding showers, weddings and other special events. My mother-in-law would be over the serving of the punch, and she usually froze a ring of some fruit juice or fruit and let it float in the punch along with the sherbert. It was really good. I have an old punch bowl, cups and ladle but I never have used it. I bought it at an antique store years ago.

  4. That punch recipe will be used at any type of gathering until Jesus comes back! It’s delicious.
    Miss Cindy was trying to take care of her “boy” with his psoriasis problem. Being a mom we have a tendency to do that no matter how old they are!!!!!

  5. My Mom makes a sherbet punch very similar. I think hers is just pineapple juice, ginger ale/sprite (or a yellow soda like Sundrop, Mellow Yellow, Mtn. Dew, etc.) and a sherbet flavor or flavors of choosing. She’s made it for the kid’s birthdays in every color from green to pink or purple to orange, yellow, green and even a reddish color. She’s been known to substitute the pineapple juice for Hawaiian Punch flavors for different colors or a certain flavor. Regardless of the ingredients, it’s ALWAYS GOOD! Something about the combo of sherbet, carbonated soda, and a fruit juice makes for a great punch! Never tried adding Jello, but I may have to try that sometime soon! The boy child has a big 13th birthday coming in May, and while he might not be one to want to party (he’s too cool for that now! Haha!) — I bet he’ll still be okay with some punch and cake! 🙂

  6. I have had this many times at showers and at my own wedding. If you want a quick treat, you can add a couple scoops of sherbet in a glass and just pour some ginger ale over it. Lime is really good, or any flavor can be used. When I got married, only lime sherbet and ginger ale was used to make the punch so the recipe y’all used sounds delicious and looked so pretty with the rainbow sherbet. Lots of folks have gotten away from using punch at showers and receptions but I think it just adds that special touch to the
    event.

  7. The popular punch from my high school years in Texas was simply lime or pineapple sherbet and ginger ale. It looked similar to yours, and everyone liked it.

  8. Sherbet punch is always good and we usually used lime jello! Looks like ya all are having more mild temps than us but we are suppose to have a warm up this week. Only problem is there will be rain and then it will turn cool/cold again:)

  9. Yes, had that punch many times. Even at my wedding reception. Always yummy! Another regional punch I like is Cheerwine, pineapple juice and ginger ale. Great for Christmas parties.

  10. The only time I ever had punch was when my teenage cousin had a party. She let me and her younger sister attend but we couldn’t play Spin the Bottle or other kissy games. She made punch with 7-Up and sherbet, served with potted meat sandwiches and potato chips. That was a rare treat for every one of us.
    I don’t know how I missed Chatter’s baby shower!

  11. My mom use to make a Sherbet Punch for parties, but I’m not sure her exact ingredients. I do remember it had the juices and Ginger ale, but not sure about the jello. I’ll have to ask my sister if she remembers if it had jello in it or not. Anyway, yours looks and sounds delicious!

  12. I went to a baby shower where they served a sherbet punch. It contained vodka: great for the guests, but the expectant mom couldn’t indulge!

  13. We love sherbet punch any time, especially in summertime. I make a simple one just for me during the summer. I have a tall glass, put in couple scoops of sherbet, pour over a little pineapple juice, fill the rest of the way with either ginger ale or sprite, and voila, I have my own personal glass of punch…which is good for me, ’cause nobody at my house likes it but me. Matt, Matt, Matt, what are we going to do with you? Love and prayers to Granny and Little Mamas and all of you too!

  14. Hmmm wonder how that would read as a 4-5 person serving? Right off the bat would need quantities that don’t come in those amounts. Guess that’s why it is an event recipe. I like to put fizzy water and fruit juice together for a spring & summer drink. Mixing on the fly allows matching individual tastes.

  15. The picture of your punch is so pretty with all those colors, and also the punch bowl. It’s so pretty and unique. I think punch has always been the drink for showers…baby and wedding. We even had punch at our wedding reception way back in 1981. I have seriously never made punch, so I don’t know any recipe…but I love it. I am thinking your recipe may be a fun addition to our Easter dinner this year. The colors remind me of Easter eggs, and wouldn’t it be a nice surprise for everyone. One year, quite a few years back, we had a very warm and sunny Easter. It was so nice that we carried all the food out to our huge picnic table, (hubby and son-in-law made it) and ate outside in the sunshine. I would love it if we could do that again this year! I am getting very excited for Spring!

    Loved the girls video with their baby shower game. If I ever get to help with another shower, I will definitely make that bag game one of the ones we play. I have a long time to wait…as my oldest grandchild is only 12. Lol! Oh well, I am sure there will be a friend or a cousin having a shower before that. I hear a bird singing outside and it, along with the sunshine, is calling my name. Happy Monday everyone!

  16. I hope and pray you all are getting everything ready to bring newborns home and it’s coming along easily and splendidly. I hope you got some items you can really utilize at the shower, played fun games, and had an excellent shower! The punch is about the same everybody serves, but the jello added is not… usually ginger ale and sherbet and best of luck to the drinker. I sent Chitter something when I first found out she was expecting and sent it to granny’s house. I never heard a thing on it…anyway it was a bed she can put the newborn in and it’s easy to move around with a little carrier, etc-boy colors I think. I hope y’all got it. Oh well, God bless you all and do take care!!! Prayers for granny and the fam!!!

  17. Goodness, another BPTA-inspired memory! My mother made sherbet punch when I was a child, recalling fruit juices, sherbet, and actual fruits–pineapple and strawberries I believe. I don’t think I’ve seen sherbet punch since then, 60+ years ago (?), but I do love to eat sherbet, raspberry my favorite and rainbow the prettiest and most fun. Thanks for the memories, which often take me back to beautiful reminders.

  18. That sounds good. We make ours by mixing a carton of pineapple orange juice and a 2 liter gingerale . add rainbow sherbet and sprinkle a pkg of cherry kool-aid on top and mix it in. that’s how Charley’s mom made it and the kids loved it, so we’ve made it that way ever since.

  19. I made this up here in NB, Canada, and I don’t think they had it before. we never used jello.. I will have to try that. I also add frozen berries. I scoop the sherbet out with a small ice cream scoop.

  20. This was a standard punch at wedding and baby showered when I was young. The recipe that I am familiar with is much simpler. It is just sherbet and ginger ale. It was usually lime sherbet , but sometimes orange. There may have been some juice added, but I don’t remember that. It was good!

  21. We also served punch at showers and weddings. I have never heard of putting jello in the punch recipe though. We used gingerale or 7Up and fruit juices in ours. Often pineapple juice or cranberry juice, or even a fruit punch or a combination of these. We also used the sherbet. We would sometimes take a jello mold and put some of the juice we were using and some fresh berries in the mold and freeze it to later float in the punch bowl. It looked pretty and it kept the punch cold. If we did this, we didn’t always add the sherbet.

  22. The punch recipe sounds so refreshing and cool, cool in flavor and cool in the picture. As far as Matt and his antics, Bless Ms Cindy’s heart and his Dad, he must have been a handful. I bet his life would make a great book. Prayers for Granny and you guys.

  23. I have had this at showers snd church functions as well and have never made at home as well. It is typically lime jello and lime sherbet and it is a mint green although I am sure the rainbow and lemon is very good as well. It’s wonderful to see similar celebrations in different parts of the country.

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