Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail

Do you want to drink something sparkling and festive this holiday season but don't want to indulge in alcoholic beverages? Then, this Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail is perfect for you!

With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a delicious and refreshing holiday drink that will leave you feeling merry and bright. Top cranberry juice with chilled cranberry raspberry sparkling water, and garnish the glass with sugared cranberries. Cheers!

Cranberry is one of my favorite seasonal flavors! I love this sparkling tart and lightly sweet beverage when it's cranberry season; it's festive with the sugared cranberries, which are easy to make.

It's fabulous for entertaining during the holidays or all year round as a non-alcoholic beverage. This sparkling mocktail with vibrant red color is a great way to enjoy the festivities of holiday parties while staying hydrated.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to make a Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• FAQ
• Recipe

Serve this fun non-alcoholic mocktail over the holidays, on New Year's Eve, at Thanksgiving, or at a Christmas brunch! This cranberry mocktail would pair nicely with these vegan cranberry cream cheese bites!

If you'd like to serve drinks with alcohol, try this Plum Ginger Gin Sour, Blood Orange French 75, Meyer Lemon French 75, Vegan Irish Cream, or this Sidecar. Many of these can be modified to skip the alcohol; refer to each recipe for the details. For a warm drink, try Vin Chaud.

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients to make this fun and sophisticated beverage without alcohol; you can find the ingredients easily at the local grocery store.

• Cranberry juice - I used pure unsweetened cranberry juice.
• Sparkling water - I like a bit of fizz, so I used cranberry raspberry sparkling water, naturally flavored with real squeezed fruit. You can use any sparkling water you like.
• Sugared cranberries - you'll need fresh cranberries, sugar, and water to make these.
• Organic cane sugar to rim the glass - this is optional but a nice festive touch!

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make a Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail

It's easy to make this holiday cranberry mocktail. But, first, I'll tell you how to make sugared cranberries! You can make these the day before or a few hours before you need them.

For the Sugared Cranberries

• Bring organic cane sugar and water to boil on medium heat in a small or medium saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves, and the liquid is clear.
• Then, take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the fresh cranberries. Mix them gently to coat them in the simple syrup.
• Remove the cranberries with a slotted spoon and place them on a cookie rack to dry for a couple of hours.
• Place the remaining sugar in a medium bowl and spoon the cranberries in the bowl. Stir the cranberries gently to coat them with sugar. Place the sugared cranberries on the cookie rack to dry for another hour.

For the Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail

Once you have the sugared cranberries, you can make the perfect mocktail. Here are the simple steps:

You can serve the drink in a highball glass with crushed ice if you prefer.

Variations

Here are some variations you can try:

• Cranberry juice - Use cranberry cocktail instead.
• Sparkling water - Use any variety you like, plain or flavored. Lemon, lime, apple, and other fruity sparkling waters would be delicious if you can't find cranberry raspberry sparkling water. You can also try ginger beer, which is not beer, ginger ale, or club soda.
• Sweeter - Add pomegranate juice, pomegranate seeds, pineapple juice, or freshly squeezed orange juice for a sweeter mocktail.
• Alcoholic - add a shot of vodka.
• Garnishes - Add a sprig of fresh rosemary or a sprig of mint.
• Muddle with lime or fresh mint; add a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Equipment

Here is the equipment you need to make the sugared cranberries and the cranberry mocktail:

• small saucepan
• Slotted spoon
• baking sheet
• Cookie rack
• Medium bowl
• Cocktail glass or glass of choice, such as a highball glass.
• Cocktail pick

Storage

This refreshing mocktail is best enjoyed immediately.

Enjoy your winter celebrations and happy holidays!

FAQ

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ★★★★★ below. I love to see your amazing creations on Instagram, make sure to tag me @resplendentkitchen and #resplendentkitchenrecipes. To get more ideas follow me on Facebook and Pinterest.

Recipe