Retro Lighting Party Fountain

The drinks table stops being a queue

A punch bowl needs someone standing behind it with a ladle. This does the pouring itself: a small pump lifts the drink up the centre column and it cascades back down three clear tiers, lit from below, while the cups hang around the rim for people to take.

Guests serve themselves and it keeps moving all evening. Mostly, though, people look at it — which is the actual job it does at a party.

Three tiers, and 1.5 gallons in circulation

The bowl and tiers hold a gallon and a half between them — enough to pour roughly twenty small cups before it needs topping up. The drink runs continuously rather than sitting still, so it looks alive from across the room and you can see at a glance when it is running low.

The lit base is what sells it after dark

The fluted base glows upward through the bowl, so the colour of whatever you have made becomes the light. Red punch reads warm, blue reads cold and strange, and either way it is the brightest thing on the table once the main lights go down.

What actually turns up

It arrives in parts and stacks together in a couple of minutes. Assembled it stands about knee-height on a table — check you have the clearance before you plan a centrepiece around it.

Getting a good result out of it

Two things decide whether this is a hit or a sticky disappointment. Chill the drink before it goes in — the pump circulates but does not cool, so a room-temperature punch stays room temperature. And strain anything with pulp or fruit in it. Seeds, pith and pieces of orange are what stop the pump, and once it stops the whole effect goes with it.

Float the fruit on top for looks instead. Carbonated drinks work — the manufacturer says so — but they foam as they fall, so expect a head on the tiers and pour something still if you want the streams to show.

Washing up

Every part above the base lifts off and washes by hand in the sink. The base holds the pump and the light and never goes in water — wipe it with a damp cloth instead. Do that the same night rather than the next morning; dried squash in the tier holes is the one genuinely annoying part of owning it.

Specifications

• Capacity: 1.5 gallons across the bowl and three tiers
• Assembled size: 13.2 × 13.2 × 23 in (33.5 × 33.5 × 58.5 cm)
• Weight: approx. 5 lb (2.25 kg) empty
• Tiers: three cascading tiers on a central column
• Cups: clear reusable cups that hook around the bowl rim
• Base: illuminated, with a push-button on/off medallion
• Material: BPA-free plastic with chrome-look accents
• Power: mains-powered; plugs into a standard household outlet
• Drinks: suitable for still and carbonated drinks

Electrical safety: the base contains the pump and light. Never immerse it, never run it dry, unplug it before taking the fountain apart, and keep the cord clear of where drinks are being poured. Adults should handle assembly and cleaning.