The vodka cran is fine. These seven drinks give cranberry juice something more interesting to push against: bourbon, gin, tequila, Aperol, rum and sparkling wine.
Some recipes call for cranberry juice cocktail, the sweetened blend, and some call for plain cranberry juice. Check each ingredient list before you pour, and taste before you serve.
1. Cranberry Bourbon Smash
This one’s a batch drink for a crowd, not something you shake and strain. Fresh cranberries simmer with orange juice, sugar and cinnamon until they pop, then the cooled mixture goes into a pitcher with the bourbon.
The cinnamon sticks bring a warm baking-spice note. Pour it over ice and add an orange peel.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 liter (about 4 cups) bourbon
- Orange peels, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the cranberries, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries start to pop, about 5 minutes. Let cool completely, then combine with the bourbon in a pitcher.
- To serve, pour into glasses over ice and garnish with an orange peel.
Serves 10 to 12.
2. Gin Cranberry Fizz
Gin’s juniper plays well with cranberry’s tartness, and ginger beer adds spice and fizz. Mix the base in a pitcher ahead, then top each glass with ginger beer or ginger ale right before serving.
The orange juice softens the cranberry’s edge. Finish each glass with a sprig of fresh thyme, a few cranberries and a twist of orange peel. If you like gin in cold weather, the winter gin cocktails are a good next stop.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces gin
- 6 ounces cranberry juice
- 2 ounces orange juice
- Ginger beer or ginger ale, for topping
- Thyme sprigs, fresh cranberries and orange peel, for garnish
Instructions
- Pour the gin, cranberry juice, and orange juice into a pitcher and stir them together.
- When you’re ready to serve, pour the drink over ice, then top it with ginger beer or ginger ale to your liking. Finish with a sprig of thyme, a few cranberries, and a twist of orange peel.
Serves 4 to 6.
3. Cranberry Paloma
A Paloma usually means grapefruit and tequila. Cranberry juice cocktail adds a tart, fruity layer on top. The sugar rim gives you something sweet before the first sip.
Blanco tequila keeps it clean and bright. Reposado adds a little oak. Either way, fresh grapefruit juice is the move.
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar, for rim
- 1 grapefruit wedge
- Ice
- 2 1/2 oz. cranberry juice cocktail
- 2 oz. blanco or reposado tequila
- 1 1/2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
- Soda water, for topping off
- Grapefruit twist and fresh cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Pour some sugar onto a small plate. Rub one side of a Collins glass with a grapefruit wedge, then dip it into the sugar, turning to coat.
- Fill the prepared glass with ice. Pour in the cranberry juice cocktail, tequila, and grapefruit juice. Top off with club soda and gently stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with a grapefruit twist and cranberries.
Serves 1. Ready in 5 minutes. Want another tequila take? Try the cranberry margarita .
4. Sparkling Cranberry Aperol Spritz
Aperol is already bitter and citrusy, so cranberry juice cocktail adds tartness without turning the drink into fruit punch. Orange juice ties it together, and the Prosecco keeps it light.
This recipe stirs the Prosecco into the pitcher, then you pour over ice in wine glasses. Top each glass with cranberries, an orange slice and a rosemary sprig. For a holiday-party version, see the cranberry Aperol spritz pitcher .
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Aperol
- 12 oz. cranberry juice cocktail
- 1/2 orange, juiced
- 20 oz. Prosecco
- Ice
- Fresh cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary sprigs, for serving
Instructions
- In a pitcher, combine the Aperol, cranberry juice, and orange juice. Pour in the Prosecco and stir to combine.
- Fill wine glasses with ice and pour in the spritz. Top each one with cranberries, an orange slice, and a rosemary sprig.
Serves 4. Ready in 10 minutes.
5. Cranberry Moscow Mule
A Moscow Mule is vodka, lime juice and ginger beer. Here the cranberry juice is homemade: you simmer cranberries with sugar and water until they soften.
Copper mugs are the classic way to serve it. Add a lime wedge and a few fresh cranberries. The full write-up is in our cranberry Moscow Mule recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 package cranberries (fresh)
- 1/2 cup sugar (granulated)
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 cup vodka
- 3 cups ginger beer
- Garnish: lime wedges and fresh cranberries
- cranberries
Instructions
- Add the fresh cranberries to a small saucepan. Turn on the heat and add the granulated sugar and water. Stir everything together and let it come to a boil. Once the cranberries are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes, turn off the heat. Let it cool to lukewarm. Strain the cranberries through a fine-mesh sieve. Let the cranberry mixture cool completely before you make the cocktails.
- Stir the fresh cranberry juice, lime juice, and vodka in a large pitcher. Slowly pour in the ginger beer and gently stir. If you’re making a single-serve cocktail, use about 2 ounces of vodka, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, and top with ginger beer.
- Serve over ice in copper mugs. They not only look pretty but keep the cocktail super cold. Garnish with lime wedges and fresh cranberries.
Serves 5. Ready in 15 minutes.
6. Rum Cranberry Punch
Mix this one in a big bowl and let guests help themselves. Cranberry juice, rum and ginger ale make an easy combination, and the sugar dissolves into the juice to balance the tartness. Lemon slices float on top.
A punch bowl and a ladle are all the setup it needs.
Ingredients
- 1 (32 fluid ounce) bottle cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 cups ginger ale
- 2 1/4 cups rum
- 8 slices lemon
Instructions
- In a medium-size punchbowl, stir the cranberry juice and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Mix in the ginger ale, rum, and lemon slices. Serve over ice.
Serves 8. Ready in 5 minutes.
7. Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
This is the easiest drink here, and it needs almost no measuring. Cranberry juice and a squeeze of lime go into a chilled flute, then Champagne or sparkling wine fills the glass.
Drop in a few cranberries to finish. More bubbly ideas live in these Champagne cocktails for New Year’s Eve .
Ingredients
- 1-ounce cranberry juice (sweetened)
- 1 wedge lime
- Champagne or sparkling wine
- Cranberries (frozen)
Instructions
- Pour the cranberry juice into a chilled Champagne flute and squeeze in the lime. Top off the glass with Champagne and drop in 3 or 4 cranberries.
Serves 1.
Why Cranberry Juice Works in Cocktails
Cranberry juice adds acid and brightness the way lemon or lime juice does, but with berry flavor instead. Use it when you want tartness without another citrus-heavy drink.
It isn’t just a vodka mixer. It sits comfortably with bourbon, gin, tequila, rum and sparkling wine, as the drinks above show.
Choosing the Right Cranberry Juice
The recipes above use three kinds of cranberry juice. Follow each ingredient list, and taste before you serve.
| Type | What it is | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Cranberry juice | Plain juice, as the recipe lists it | Gin Cranberry Fizz, Rum Cranberry Punch |
| Cranberry juice cocktail | A sweetened blend, ready to pour | Cranberry Paloma, Aperol Spritz |
| Fresh cranberry juice | Made at home by simmering cranberries with sugar and water | Cranberry Moscow Mule |
Balancing Tartness in Cranberry Cocktails
Too much cranberry juice with nothing to balance it makes a drink sour and one-note. A little simple syrup helps. Add it in small amounts and taste as you go.
Citrus helps too. A squeeze of lime or lemon sharpens the flavor, and orange juice softens it. Ginger beer adds fizz and spice.
Garnishes That Work With Cranberry Cocktails
Keep it fresh and simple, and follow what each recipe calls for. Fresh cranberries float on top, and a citrus peel adds aroma.
Twist an orange or grapefruit peel over the glass to release its oils, then drop it in or hang it on the rim. Lime and lemon wedges work the same way, and they give your guests something to squeeze in.
Making Cranberry Cocktails for a Crowd
Several of these scale up easily. The Cranberry Bourbon Smash and the Rum Cranberry Punch are already batch recipes. For the Gin Cranberry Fizz, mix the base in a pitcher and add the ginger beer when you serve. The Aperol Spritz is the exception: its recipe stirs the Prosecco into the pitcher.
For a self-serve bar, set out cranberry juice, a few spirits, mixers and a bowl of garnishes. Label each bottle so guests know what they’re pouring. More ideas are in our Christmas cocktails for a crowd .
Frequently Asked Questions
What spirits pair well with cranberry juice besides vodka?
Bourbon, gin, rum and tequila all work, and so do Aperol and sparkling wine. Bourbon brings warmth, gin brings botanical notes, and tequila plays well with citrus.
Can I use cranberry juice cocktail instead of plain cranberry juice?
You can, but the drink may taste sweeter because the cocktail blend is sweetened. Taste as you go and add a squeeze of citrus if you need it.
How do I keep cranberry cocktails from tasting too sweet?
A squeeze of lime or lemon sharpens things up. If a drink is already mixed and tastes too sweet, a splash of soda water can help.
What garnishes work best for cranberry cocktails?
Fresh cranberries, citrus peels, and lime or lemon wedges. Use what the recipe calls for, such as the fresh thyme on the Gin Cranberry Fizz or the fresh rosemary on the Aperol Spritz.
Can I make cranberry cocktails ahead of time?
Follow the recipe. For the Gin Cranberry Fizz, mix the base in a pitcher and top each glass with ginger beer when you serve. The Bourbon Smash is made in a pitcher ahead, and the Aperol Spritz stirs the Prosecco into the pitcher.
Do cranberry cocktails have to be served cold?
Most of them, yes. The drinks on this list are served over ice or in a chilled glass.
Which One First?
- Cooking for a crowd: Cranberry Bourbon Smash or Rum Cranberry Punch
- Making one drink: Cranberry Paloma
- Got copper mugs: Cranberry Moscow Mule
