Good Food’s Bar of the Year shares how to make Christmas punch that’s actually good

Name: Good Food’s Bar of the Year shares how to make Christmas punch that’s actually good
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 20 serves (makes more than 3.5 litres)
Ingredients: 700ml Bacardi Ocho (or dark rum); 500ml Pennyweight Tawny Port; 400ml fresh lime juice (strained); 400ml cold-pressed pineapple juice (choose a nice ripe yellow one or use store-bought juice); 1500ml Ceylon tea and Christmas spice mix (see below)

Michael Chiem, from Sydney’s Silver’s Motel and PS40, suggests making this sweet, sour and spicy punch ahead so you can get drinks in hands quickly. Plus, he has a clever tip for keeping it icy cold.

Michael Chiem

December 18, 2025

1 / 5The Christmas punch at Silver’s Motel in Enmore.Dion Georgopoulos

2 / 5A giant ice block keeps the punch super cool.Dion Georgopoulos

3 / 5Michael Chiem adds rum, which gives the punch a Christmassy kick.Dion Georgopoulos

4 / 5Pour the punch over the ice block to bring the temperature down.Dion Georgopoulos

5 / 5Silver’s Motel in action. Edwina Pickles

While we’re fans of a festive punch at Good Food, we haven’t come across many we love. We decided to ask this year’s Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Bar of the Year winner Silver’s Motel in Enmore for a recipe. Co-owner Michael Chiem, who is also behind 2024 Bar of the Year, PS40, replied immediately .“Yep, I’ve got a great recipe up my sleeve, actually.” This is his Christmas punch. We hope you enjoy it.

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:20 serves (makes more than 3.5 litres)

When hosting parties, I’m a huge advocate for getting drinks in hands as fast as possible, and this Christmas punch is something you can prepare in advance and dish out as soon as your guests arrive. It follows a classic punch recipe breakdown – sour, sweet, strong, weak and spice.

Tip: If it’s a really hot day, I recommend you leave the rum in the freezer and the port in the fridge overnight.

Ingredients

700ml Bacardi Ocho (or dark rum)
500ml Pennyweight Tawny Port
400ml fresh lime juice (strained)
400ml cold-pressed pineapple juice (choose a nice ripe yellow one or use store-bought juice)
1500ml Ceylon tea and Christmas spice mix (see below)

For the ceylon tea and Christmas spice mix

2 cinnamon quills
1 tbsp cloves
1 tbsp allspice
2 star anise
5 Ceylon teabags
2 litres of water
500g of caster sugar

Method

For the ceylon tea and Christmas spice mix

Step 1
Add the cinnamon, cloves, allspice and star anise to a saucepan and gently toast the spices over medium heat until aromatic. Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Add the teabags and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in the caster sugar until dissolved. Put a lid on the pan and allow it to come to room temperature before straining. Discard the spices and keep the liquid. This step can be done a day or two in advance. Store in the fridge.

For the punch

Step 1
Combine the rum, port, lime juice, pineapple juice and Ceylon tea and Christmas spice mix in a punch bowl. If you have a whisk or hand stick-blender, it’s a nice touch to aerate the liquid (you can continue to do this after you’ve served it, too).
Step 2
Add a big block of ice to your punch bowl
(you can freeze water in any plastic container you have handy). The bigger the block, the slower it will melt.
Step 3
Garnish with seasonal berries, pineapple and citrus slices.

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