It's Not a Southern Shower Without Coffee Punch

You'll spot it likely on the end of the buffet. It will be in a large punch bowl nearly overflowing with frothy goodness. Out-of-Towners will think, well isn't that cute—a punch bowl of chocolate milk. But there's no mistaking it for a Southerner: It's coffee punch and, if it's on the menu, you're at a bona fide Southern shower.

Now, if you're the hostess in charge of bringing the coffee punch also be aware that means arming yourself with enough recipe cards to hand out to all said Out-of-Towners. They'll make a beeline straight for you the minute that first sip hits their lips. You needn't worry about Mary Louise and Anna Claire, though—their Coffee Punch recipes were handed down from Mama and have already made the rounds at numerous showers this season.

When you're asked what's in it, we suggest you reply with, "Oh, you know, just a little coffee and a bit of sugar to sweeten," —lest you're prepared to watch Out-of-Towner gasp in horror as she tries to quickly calculate the calories she's consuming with each swallow and shudder at the thought that one more sip could make the difference in fitting into that bridesmaid dress in two weeks. The rest of us know just how luxurious this Southern classic is and have accordingly planned ahead by saving all of our points for one indulgent glass.

Every hostess seems to have a variation of Coffee Punch, but most follow a simple formula of strong-brewed coffee, milk, vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, sugar (yes, you read that right) and a topping of whipped cream. It's not for the faint of heart.

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If you happen to fall into the category of not having your own passed-down version of Coffee Punch we're here for you. We have two versions to choose from: the classic (non alcoholic) and the spiked version. Of course, you can spike the classic at a moments notice if things are getting a little too ho-hum.