Cinnamon Spiced Tea Punch with Fresh Mango, Lime and Summer Berries

Ideal for all occasions, this take anywhere fruit punch is wonderfully flavoured with fresh juicy tropical mango, sweet berries and zingy lime. A perfect party starter, picnic or barbeque accompaniment and only takes minutes to prepare.

Tips

Make sure you have a big enough bowl or jug to mix the punch. Many second hand shops will have punch bowls which will give your event a great vintage feel. Mix up the glasses for an eclectic look, or use your recycled jars and serve them with paper straws.

Always balance the sweet with the bitter, taste the punch after making it to ensure that it is not too sweet or sour, adding soda water or more ice will soften the sweetness and fresh lemon or lime juice will add that wonderful refreshing tartness.

Dice large 2cm cubes of mango and freeze them over night to use instead of ice cubes and serve in the punch glasses; likewise you can add a couple of berries into each cube and cover with water to freeze for a decorative ice cube.

Your best friend when making punch is ice. Use large chunks of ice or freeze the tea in a whole block by pouring the cooled tea into a container and leaving it in the freezer over night, and then add the whole block to the punch or break it into large chunks with a hammer. When mixed together, this will chill the other ingredients and give a decorative effect to your punch bowl without watering down the punch or melting too quickly.

Think about garnishes in your punch that will add colour and flavour – thin slices of lemon or orange, lovely sliced strawberries or peaches, or whole fresh mint leaves.  Keep in mind the size of your glasses and ease of drinking the punch when cutting up the fruit.