‘Tis the season of grog and nog. For those who entertain during the holiday season, serving a single punch or cider can solve the beverage issue in one fell swoop. If you want to take a Martha Stewart-esque perspective, serving an appropriately spiced drink to one and all can be a way of extending the holiday theme into every nook and cranny of your menu.

This also makes economic sense. Serving a holiday punch is a whole lot less expensive than setting up an open bar or trying to select wines that don’t make you look cheap.

And finally, once you make the basic punch, you have options. You can serve it spiked or not — or in the spirit of holiday magnanimity, you can serve the punch both ways. The latter is the more sensible way to go if alcohol is to be served at the party. If you serve a spiked punch, you’ll have to provide for your guests who don’t drink, anyway, so you might as well set aside some of the punch for the teetotalers.

If holiday lore and song lyrics are any indication, what I’m suggesting is mere tradition. As we know, wassailing is the stuff of carols and eggnog doesn’t reappear in grocers’ coolers every December just by accident.

So here are two holiday recipes for consideration. The first, from the December issue of Gourmet, is a zingy punch that can be doctored with a bit of gin or vodka. Ginger beer is made from a similar syrup, to give you an idea of where this recipe is going. The bite of the ginger can be increased according to taste by using more ginger and steeping it longer. Add the liquids in portions and taste to get the flavors right.

The second is a regional standard and comes from Karen Adler and Jane Guthrie’s “Kansas City Christmas Cookbook.” It is meant to be prepared without alcohol.

Ginger Pineapple Sparkling Punch

Ginger syrup

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 cup thinly sliced unpeeled fresh ginger (1/4 pound)

For punch

3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3 to 5 lemons)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (4 to 6 limes)

3 cups sparkling water, chilled

4 ice cubes

Garnish

Lemon and lime slices

Bring water, sugar and ginger to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, then remove and steep, uncovered, 15 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a bowl, discarding ginger. Chill, covered, until cold, about 2 hours.

Stir together ginger syrup and fruit juices in a punch bowl or pitcher. Stir in sparkling water and ice.

Makes 10 servings

Wornall House Wassail

4 quarts water

4 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons whole cloves

1 cup sugar

1 (6-ounce can) orange juice

concentrate

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

8-9 tea bags

Combine water, cinnamon sticks and cloves, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Remove tea bags and serve immediately.

Makes 30-36 servings