Festive Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail

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If ever there was a cocktail suited for the holiday season, my Festive Cranberry and Rosemary Cocktail is the one. This delicious cocktail is just sweet enough and has fresh lime juice, contreau, cranberry juice and vodka, made into a bubbly cocktail by topping it with club soda. Not to mention that it is Christmas colors thanks to the cranberry juice and fresh rosemary sprigs. 

Contents:

This festive cocktail is a great addition to your holiday menu and I’ve given tips on how to make a big batch to serve to guests at your holiday party. Personally I like my cocktails not too sweet so I’ve made this cocktail perfectly suited to my personal preference. But I’ve given some alternatives to make it more sweet if that’s what you prefer. 

For a drink to warm you from the inside you might like to try my Ginger Mulled Wine. And if you love this Festive Cranberry Cocktail then you’ll love my Festive Pomegranate Vodka Cocktail.

If you would like some more inspiration for sparkling cocktails then you should try my Prosecco Mimosa’s, which are a ridiculously easy prosecco cocktail and another great cocktail to add to your holiday cocktail menu.

What’s to Love About this Festive Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail

• simple cocktail – there is nothing complicated about making this cranberry juice cocktail. It’s a very straight forward and easy cocktail to make. 
• festive – this is the perfect cocktail for holiday parties, with seasonal flavors of rosemary, orange and cranberry. 
• easy to batch make – this recipe is for a single drink, but it is very easy to increase the quantities to serve a large crowd and would be an amazing signature cocktail for your holiday celebration, whether that’s a Christmas party or Thanksgiving feast. This festive drink will definitely add some holiday cheer. 
• simple ingredients – all ingredients are easy to find from your local grocery store and bottle shop. 

Ingredients Notes & Substitutions

Below are a list of all the ingredients needed to make this recipe as well as any possible substitutions and ingredients notes. The full list of ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

• vodka – you could also use gin if you prefer gin over vodka. If you would like to make a non-alcoholic version then I would recommend using more soda water in place of the vodka. 
• contreau – contreau is an orange flavored liqueur, which adds sweetness to this cocktail. If you would like to make a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail, you could use orange juice or a dash of orange cordial instead. 
• fresh lime juice – personally I love lime in this recipe but you can also use lemon juice if preferred. 
• unsweetened cranberry juice – I personally love the tartness of the cranberries in unsweetened cranberry juice. If you would like a sweeter version of this drink you can use sweetened cranberry juice instead. 
• soda water – you can also use mineral water or, again, if you prefer a sweeter cocktail you can use ginger beer or ginger ale. Using ginger beer makes this more of a cranberry moscow mule, yum! 

To Garnish

• ​fresh rosemary sprig
• castor sugar 
• lime juice or water
• dehydrated orange slices – these are optional. 

How to Make Garnishes

First, prepare the rosemary garnish. Rinse a sprig of rosemary under water or dip it into the lime juice. Sprinkle the dampened rosemary sprig with castor sugar to create “snow”. Place onto a plate and set aside. 

Next, add a sugar rim to the glass. Add lime juice to a shallow plate. Add castor sugar to a second shallow plate. Turn your chosen glass upside down onto the plate to wet the rim of the glass. Dip the glass rim into the sugar. Set aside. 

How to Make This Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail 

​To make this delicious vodka cranberry cocktail, follow the instructions below. 

Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, contreau, lime juice and cranberry juice to a shaker. Shake vigorously to combine. 

​Add ice cubes to the sugar rimmed glass – I like to use ice spheres. Top with the cocktail mixture and then top with soda water. Finish by topping with two dehydrated lemon slices and the rosemary garnish. 

How to Batch Make 

This really is the perfect holiday cocktail but to make it quick and easy to serve at a party then I would recommend creating a big batch of the cocktail mix, without adding the soda water. This way at the party you can add the cocktail mix to glasses with ice and then top with soda before serving. Just increase the quantities of the ingredients to however many serves you would like make. 

For example, to make 5 serves of this delicious drink you will need:

• 5 nips vodka
• 5 nips contreau
• 75 mL lime juice 
• 300 mL cranberry juice 

Add all of the ingredients to a large glass bottle with a lid. Place the lid on and shake. Keep refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. 

You can also make up 5 of the rosemary sprigs and store in an airtight container in the fridge or at room temperature. 

To make in a large pitcher, use the same quantities and add the shaken cocktail mix to the pitcher one third filled with ice, top with soda water, orange slices and a few sprigs of rosemary.