Awesome Party Supplies & Event Rentals, LLC

OPERATION & SET-UP:

• A full punch fountain weighs nearly 100 lbs.!! To avoid disaster be sure to use a sturdy level table.
• Tape (duct tape) the electric cord to the floor or carpet to avoid a tripping hazard.
• If using a rental fountain, pretest with the desired punch recipe, or have a backup serving plan.
• The fountain requires a 115 volt/15 amp 3-pronged outlet (within reach!). Use a separate outlet and a heavy duty extension cord or power bar, NOT a regular household extension cord. Tape down the cord!!!
• Position the beverage table apart from, but in sight of the food serving table.
• After filling with beverage, turn fountain on. If beverage does not circulate within 30 seconds, turn switch off, wait 10 seconds, then repeat.   DO NOT RUN FOUNTAIN DRY – YOU WILL BURN OUT
• The fountain warms the punch. Pre-cool beverage and fountain thoroughly, if possible to 36 degrees, before adding to fountain. Use chunks of frozen punch, as ice will dilute the punch, or cubes in a plastic bag, in the bowl.
• Add smaller quantities of beverage to the fountain from time to time to maintain carbonation. The punch in the fountain goes flat after 10 to 20 minutes of recirculation. When cleaning up, DO NOT immerse the base of the fountain in water. It contains an electric motor.

·          Mix all ingredients in the order given in the punch recipe; if it sparkles, pour it in last. Champagne, sparkling wine, seltzer water, soda, or anything carbonated goes in after the other ingredients are mixed and just before serving. Stir it sparingly to preserve the sparkle and fizz.

• Use 'simple syrup' instead of sugar. Sugar, especially granulated sugar, can be hard to dissolve in cold liquids, so don't. Substitute simple syrup, also called sugar syrup: For punch recipes, combine equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and continue cooking for a minute until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear. Cool, and voila! "Liquid sugar." (1 cup sugar and 1 cup water makes about 1 1/3 cups simple syrup.)
• Chill all ingredients before mixing. (Unless you're making a hot punch recipe.) Don't rely on ice to chill the punch after it is mixed; it has an unhappy effect on the recipe.
• Chill the fountain before serving. Fill the bowl with cold ice water until you are ready to use. Dump out ice water and add punch when ready to serve.
• Use larger blocks of ice, ice molds, frozen fruit juice, or ice in bags to keep the beverage cold. Small cubes melt quickly and dilute the punch recipe unnecessarily. Likewise, not just water, but frozen tea, juice or any non-alcoholic ingredient can be frozen in an ice mold.
• Avoid floating small bits of fruit or sherbet in the punch. That is common among party punch recipes, but fruit or pulp can cause the fountain to become clogged.
• How much punch? Punch gets great mileage; figure 10 people to the gallon. That's a conservative estimate, assuming your guests will drink about three 4-ounce servings during the party. Allow for the length of the party, the strength of the punch, the day of the week, the rowdiness of the crowd, or lack thereof, and adjust your figure accordingly.

 PRESENTATION:

Your punch fountain is the centerpiece of your party. All eyes are drawn to it. So choose a beverage fountain suitable for the occasion!!

The best thing you can do to make your cold party punch recipe attractive in the punch bowl is also the most practical-- make an ice mold.

Large blocks of ice melt more slowly than ice cubes and they’re easier to ladle punch around.
As mentioned before, using a carbonated beverage, fruit juice or tea in the mold will add flavor as it melts, not dilute the punch recipe.

To freeze fruit into an ice mold or ice ring, pour about 1/2-1" of liquid into the bottom of your mold, top with fruit, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze. (If you're freezing water, use only distilled water, for the sake of clarity.) Remove the mold from the freezer, add more liquid to cover well, and freeze again. Allow several hours for the process. When ready, run warm water over the bottom of the mold to unseat your creation. Invert and float the mold in the punch bowl.

Don't have a mold? Improvise. Small bowls and plastic storage containers make excellent molds. A large muffin tin is perfect for corralling citrus slices; float 3 to 5 of these medium-size molds instead of one large one, and have spares, too. Or turn your small canister lid over and see what interesting possibilities arise. Searching your kitchen for ice mold ideas is as fun as making them. And let's not overlook the obvious—ice cube trays.

Freezing whole, small strawberries (or any fruit!) in the compartments with distilled water, for instance, makes very attractive ice cubes, especially if you leave the hulls on. But float them in individual glasses, not the fountain.

CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

After use, empty out remaining beverage and fill lower reservoir with two gallons of warm water and let circulate for five minutes.  Empty the unit and repeat again.

DO NOT USE SCOURING PADS OR ANY TYPE OF ABRASIVE FOR CLEANING. 

DO NOT TAKE UNIT APART!

Do NOT IMMERSE unit in water – the base contains an electric motor.