Cheap Night In?

Sunday 01st January 2012, by Andy

You don't need Paris Hilton's budget to have a party to remember, just a few well chosen drinks, a few nibbles, and of course the right people.

Snacks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but to help out supermarkets are forever offering deals on mix and match munchies, so grab the chips & dips and then add a few drinks to your shopping basket.

Making a Punch is a cracking way to create a real buzz when people arrive, and it has the added bonus of being really tasty and very easy to make.  

Look for the 3 juices for £4 offer and then as soon as you get in from the shops just pour the following into a jug; then store it in the fridge until your friends arrive.  For an extra touch add berries or chopped fruit like orange, lemon, lime or apple:

1 Bottle of Vodka
1 Litre of Cranberry Juice 
1 Litre of Pineapple Juice
1 Litre of Orange Juice
The juice of 2 whole limes

Then all you have to do is pour it out as people arrive straight from the fridge, either over ice (it'll last longer) or straight, as it will be cold already.

Wine is also usually on offer at this time of year, and seemingly the other 11 months of the year these days, so why not make a batch of a wine based cocktail like Sangria?

Special Sangria
1 Bottle of Red Wine (Spanish Tempranillo is a good bet, or a New World Shiraz )
250ml Brandy
1 Litre Grape Juice
1 Whole lemon sliced into wheels

As with the punch recipe this can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge, or pour it over a large homemade ice block in a bowl, and ladel it out into glasses or cups, to really set it off try adding fresh strawberries or slices of peach.