Imagine the classic mojito you love, elevated with the sophistication of sparkling wine and made large-batch style so you can enjoy the party instead of playing bartender all night. This Sparkling Wine Mojito Punch is the perfect drink for celebrations, bridal showers, summer gatherings, or any occasion that calls for something festive and refreshing. The combination of fresh mint, zesty lime, a hint of rum, and bubbly wine creates a drink that’s both elegant and incredibly easy to drink. The best part about making punch is that you mix everything in advance, let the flavors develop, and then add the sparkling wine right before serving for that perfect fizz. Your guests will be impressed by how beautiful this punch looks with floating mint leaves and lime slices, and even more impressed by how delicious it tastes. It’s light, not too sweet, and has just the right balance of flavors to keep everyone coming back for more.
Serving Quantity: 12 servings
Cooking Time: 15 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling time)
Nutrition Information (per serving):
1. Calories: 145
2. Protein: 0g
3. Carbohydrates: 12g
4. Fat: 0g
5. Fiber: 0g
6. Sugar: 10g
7. Calcium: 15mg
8. Sodium: 5mg
1. Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Punch Base:
1. Fresh mint leaves: 2 cups, packed
2. Fresh lime juice: 1 and 1/2 cups (about 12 limes)
3. Lime, sliced: 2 whole limes
4. Granulated sugar: 1 cup
5. Water: 1 cup
6. White rum: 2 cups (16 ounces)
7. Club soda: 2 cups (16 ounces)
8. Prosecco or sparkling wine: 2 bottles (750ml each)
For Garnish:
9. Fresh mint sprigs: 12
10. Lime wheels: 12
11. Fresh berries: 2 cups (optional)
12. Ice: for serving
2. Making the Mint Simple Syrup
Start by making a mint-infused simple syrup that will sweeten and flavor your punch beautifully. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place it over medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves completely. This should take about three to four minutes. Once the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear, remove the pan from the heat. Take one cup of the fresh mint leaves and roughly tear or bruise them with your hands. This releases the mint oils and intensifies the flavor. Add the torn mint leaves to the hot sugar syrup and stir them in. Cover the pan and let the mint steep for at least thirty minutes. The syrup will turn a light green color and smell wonderfully minty. The longer it steeps, the stronger the mint flavor will be.
3. Juicing the Limes
While your mint syrup is steeping, prepare your limes. Roll each lime firmly on the counter with your palm before cutting it. This helps break down the membranes inside and releases more juice. Cut the limes in half and juice them using a citrus juicer, handheld reamer, or even just squeezing them by hand. Make sure to strain out any seeds but keep some of the pulp for texture and authentic flavor. Fresh lime juice is absolutely essential for this recipe. Bottled lime juice simply doesn’t have the bright, fresh taste you need. You’ll need about twelve limes to get one and a half cups of juice, though this can vary depending on how juicy your limes are. Set the fresh lime juice aside in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
4. Preparing the Punch Base
Once your mint syrup has steeped and cooled slightly, strain it through a fine mesh strainer into a large punch bowl or pitcher. Press down on the mint leaves with the back of a spoon to extract every drop of minty flavor. Discard the used mint leaves. Pour the fresh lime juice into the bowl with the mint syrup and stir well. Add the white rum and stir again to combine everything thoroughly. Take the remaining cup of fresh mint leaves and gently slap or clap them between your hands. This releases their aromatic oils without bruising them too much. Drop these fresh mint leaves into the punch base. Slice the two whole limes into thin rounds and add them to the mixture as well. The lime slices look beautiful floating in the punch and add extra citrus flavor.
5. Chilling the Mixture
Cover your punch bowl or pitcher with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to eight hours if you’re preparing it well in advance. This chilling time is important because it allows all the flavors to meld together beautifully. The mint continues to infuse into the liquid, and everything gets properly cold. Cold punch is essential because you’ll be adding sparkling wine later, and you don’t want it to go flat quickly from warm liquid. If you’re short on refrigerator space, you can chill the punch base in a large container and transfer it to your serving bowl later. The longer this mixture sits, the more the flavors develop, making it taste even better.
6. Final Assembly Before Serving
About ten minutes before your guests arrive or you’re ready to serve, remove the punch from the refrigerator. Add the club soda to the punch base and stir gently. The club soda adds extra bubbles and lightens the mixture slightly. Now comes the moment that transforms this from good to spectacular. Slowly pour both bottles of chilled Prosecco or sparkling wine into the punch bowl. Pour gently down the side of the bowl to preserve as much carbonation as possible. Stir very gently, just once or twice, to combine everything without losing too much fizz. The punch should be beautifully bubbly and fragrant with mint and lime. If you’re using fresh berries for extra color and flavor, add them now. Raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries all work wonderfully.
7. Adding Ice and Serving
Here’s a pro tip for keeping your punch cold without diluting it: instead of adding regular ice cubes directly to the punch, make a decorative ice ring or use frozen fruit. To make an ice ring, fill a bundt pan or ring mold with water, add some mint leaves and lime slices, freeze it overnight, and float it in your punch bowl. It looks stunning and melts much slower than regular ice cubes. If you’re using regular ice, add it to individual glasses rather than the punch bowl. Fill each glass about halfway with ice, then ladle the sparkling punch over the ice. Garnish each glass with a fresh mint sprig and a lime wheel placed on the rim. The presentation is beautiful and makes each drink feel special and intentional.
8. Serving Suggestions and Presentation
Set up a self-serve punch station to make things easy for you and fun for your guests. Place the punch bowl on a table with a stack of glasses nearby. Provide a ladle so people can serve themselves. Have extra garnishes in small bowls so guests can customize their drinks with more mint or lime if they want. Place a bucket of ice nearby for people who want their drinks extra cold. You might also want to offer some non-alcoholic sparkling water or lemon-lime soda for guests who want to dilute their drinks or make them lighter. This punch pairs beautifully with light appetizers like shrimp cocktail, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, or finger sandwiches. The refreshing mint and citrus flavors make it perfect for warm weather entertaining.
9. Tips for the Perfect Sparkling Wine Mojito Punch
Always use fresh mint and fresh lime juice. There are no shortcuts that will taste as good as the real thing. Chill all your ingredients before assembling the final punch. Cold ingredients mean your punch stays bubbly longer. Don’t add the sparkling wine until right before serving or it will go flat. If you’re serving a crowd over several hours, keep the punch base separate and add fresh sparkling wine to the bowl as needed. Use a good quality Prosecco or Cava rather than expensive champagne. You want something dry or extra dry, not sweet. For a less boozy version, reduce the rum to one cup instead of two, or make it a spritzer by using half the rum and more club soda. If you prefer a sweeter punch, add an extra quarter cup of simple syrup to taste. For a fun twist, freeze some of the punch base in ice cube trays with mint leaves inside, then use these cubes in the punch. They won’t dilute the flavor as they melt. Make a non-alcoholic version by omitting the rum and using sparkling white grape juice or ginger ale instead of the wine. This punch can be scaled up or down easily. Just maintain the ratios of ingredients. If your punch tastes too strong, add more club soda. If it tastes too weak, add a bit more rum. Left with extra punch base without the sparkling wine? It keeps in the fridge for up to three days and you can add fresh bubbles whenever you want another glass. The mint simple syrup on its own is delicious in iced tea, lemonade, or cocktails, so make extra and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks. For a tropical variation, add some fresh pineapple juice or muddle fresh pineapple chunks in the base. Always taste your punch before serving and adjust the sweetness, tartness, or strength to your preference.
