Now that it’s officially spring, we decided to break out the punch bowls. USQite Seth White whips up a refreshing vinho verde punch, based on the young Portuguese white wine. We, however, determined that it needed a bit more…booze (to celebrate the warm weather, of course). Check out this vodka-and-vinho-verde version, the Portuguese Eastside Punch, to kick-start the sunshine season!

Rosemary Syrup
2 cups water
½ cup sugar
4 sprigs rosemary, rinsed

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderately low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup and chill. Can be made up to one week in advance.

Portuguese Eastside Punch
7 bottles of Sogrape Vinho Verde Gazela
4 cups Absolut Mandarin Vodka
1 cup rosemary syrup
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
⅓ cup mint leaves

In a punch bowl, mix the wine, vodka, and rosemary syrup. Add the cucumber slices. Let stand for one hour. Garnish with the mint and serve over ice. Note: You can substitute Leroux’s Triple Sec for the rosemary syrup, but you will lose some herbal notes.

Get the ingredients here.