6 Cheerwine holiday punch cocktail recipes to try

Cheerwine is bringing back its holiday beverage in style this year.

Cheerwine Punch is on shelves in the Carolinas now through Dec. 31, and the brand has partnered with a few local mixologists to create tasty cocktails and mocktails featuring its holiday drink.

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Here are six cocktail recipes that are sure to bring lots of cheer to your holidays:

Boozy Holiday Cheerwine Punch
Bob Peters, well-known Charlotte mixologist

1 bottle of Cheerwine Punch
1 bottle of your favorite bourbon (recommends Turning Point straight bourbon from Kings Mountain, N.C.)
Fresh squeezed juice from 8 limes
Simple syrup to taste

Add all ingredients into punch bowl with ice and stir thoroughly. Garnish with fresh pineapple slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. Build in punch bowl over ice block or ice cubes. Stir 30 rotations. Serve in punch glasses with or without ice. Serves 20.

Carolina Hall Decker
Matt Mareena from The Cotton Room in Charlotte

Cheerwine Punch
1 1/4 ounce peach whiskey
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 
1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup
1 cinnamon stick
1 thin orange peel
(Optional) cinnamon maple sprinkle (cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar)

In a rocks glass with ice, combine whiskey, lime juice, and cinnamon syrup. Next, fill with Cheerwine Punch. Flip drink into a glass or mixing tin and then back into the rocks glass.

Optional: sprinkle with cinnamon maple sprinkle. Garnish with a cinnamon stick wrapped in orange peel.

Cheerwine Old Fashioned 
Daniel Sartain from Bar Virgile in Durham

2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 dashes Regans orange bitters (optional)
3/4 ounce Cheerwine syrup, (see instructions)
2 ounces rye whisky (recommends Rittenhouse)

Add ice (amount to preference). Stir for 5-7 seconds. Garnish with a swath of orange peel, squeezed over ice and wiped along the rim of the glass. Serves one.

Cheerwine syrup: Boil 2 cups of Cheerwine for 15 minutes as to let it reduce a bit. Add 1 cup of sugar, stir, then let cool. For larger batches, simply double the ingredients.

The Fizz (also served as a mocktail) 
Daniel Sartain 
3 ounces Cheerwine 
2 ounces spiced rum
1 1/4 ounce heavy cream
1/2 ounce lemon
1/2 ounce lime
1/4 ounce orange citrus
1 ounce Cheerwine syrup (from Cheerwine Old Fashioned)
1 egg white

Use a Collins/zombie glass. Pour 3 ounces of Cheerwine into the glass and let sit. In a cocktail shaker, pour all ingredients. Dry shake (without ice) vigorously for 2 minutes. Add ice to the shaker and shake again for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the Collins glass containing the soda. When the shaken mixture hits the carbonated beverage, it will quickly foam. Gently pour a steady, light stream continuously until the drink begins to form a head. Let rest for 2 minutes. Gently pour any remaining mixture on top to create the elevated foam. Garnish with mint and rose petal. Serves one.

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Southern Druthers  
Max Barwick from 1618 Midtown in Greensboro

4 ounces Cheerwine Punch
3/4 ounce Appleton Signature Jamaican Rum
3/4 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce lime juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup

Combine all ingredients and stir. Shake alcohol, juice and sugar together with ice. Strain and top with Cheerwine. Serve in a tall glass with ice. Serves one.

Edgar Allan Snow  
Shane Deruise from The Burly Bartender in Raleigh

6 ounces Cheerwine Punch
1/2 ounce key lime juice
1/4 ounce grenadine
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream

Fill a rocks glass or wide-mouth Mason jar 3/4 with ice. Combine the key lime juice, grenadine and vanilla extract in glass and stir to chill. Pour Cheerwine Punch over ice and top with whipped cream.

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