There are several ways to get the fresh flavor of cranberry into cocktails. Cranberry cocktails may have cranberry juice in them, but you can also add cranberry flavor with cranberry-infused vodka, cranberry cocktail bitters, or cranberry sauce. Each of these cranberry-flavored ingredients have just as much fresh, tart flavor as cocktails with cranberry juice.
Classic Cranberry Cocktails With Cranberry Juice
One of the best known cranberry cocktails is the cosmopolitan, but there are a number of others. These easy cranberry cocktails have a few simple ingredients (including cranberry juice) and come together quickly. Try these simple cranberry cocktails, which are part of every bartender's classic repertoire.
Vodka Cranberry (Cape Codder)
The Cape Codder, also called a vodka cranberry, is a classic cranberry and vodka highball. You can change the cocktail by using a flavored vodka, such as Pink Whitney or citrus vodka.
Ingredients
- Ice
- 4 ounces cranberry juice
- 2 ounces vodka or cranberry-infused vodka
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a highball glass with ice.
- Add the cranberry juice and vodka. Stir well.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Sea Breeze
The sea breeze is another vodka and cranberry cocktail, but it gains extra tartness from grapefruit juice. It's refreshing and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce grapefruit juice
- 3 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
- 1½ ounces vodka
- Ice
- Fresh cranberries for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the grapefruit juice, cranberry juice cocktail, and vodka.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with fresh cranberries.
Classic Cocktails With a Cranberry Twist
If you're a fan of the classics with a twist, then enjoy one of these tasty cranberry cocktails.
Cranberry Collins
A Tom Collins is a classic fizzy gin cocktail with lemon juice. This version adds cranberry juice for extra flavor and aromas.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 1½ ounces London dry gin
- Ice
- Club soda
- Orange peel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, cranberry juice, simple syrup, and gin.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with the club soda.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
Cranberry Mule
This simple variation on a Moscow mule uses tasty cranberry-flavored vodka to add extra complexity and tartness to this classic cocktail.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1½ ounces cranberry-flavored vodka
- Ice
- Ginger beer
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice and cranberry vodka.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a mule cup filled with ice.
- Top with ginger beer and garnish with a lime wheel.
Cranberry El Diablo
The El Diablo is a tequila drink typically made with crème de cassis. This version uses cranberry liqueur instead, which blends beautifully with the ginger beer.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce cranberry liqueur
- 1½ ounces reposado tequila
- Ice
- Ginger beer
- Berries and lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lime juice, cranberry liqueur, and tequila.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a collins glass filled with ice.
- Top with the ginger beer and drop in some berries and lime wedges for garnish.
Drinks With White Cranberry Juice
White cranberry juice adds flavor without color, so it's great when you want to surprise someone with a cranberry twist because it doesn't alter the drink's appearance.
White Cranberry Caipirinha
Try this cranberry version of Brazil's national drink, the caipirinha. Cachaça is a Brazillian rum with a funky, slightly spicy flavor.
Ingredients
- ½ lime, cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
- ½ ounce white cranberry juice
- 1½ ounces cachaça
- Ice
- Lime twist for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, muddle the lime wedges and the sugar.
- Add the cranberry juice and cachça and stir.
- Add ice and garnish with a lime twist.
White Cranberry Pisco Sour
Pisco is a South American brandy. This tasty cocktail uses white cranberry juice, but you can also use regular cranberry juice if you'd like a more colorful version. Don't skip the dry shaking step, as this is what allows the egg whites to foam.
Ingredients
- ¾ freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce white cranberry juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 1½ ounces pisco
- 1 egg white
- Ice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Instructions
- Chill a rocks glass.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, cranberry juice, simple syrup, pisco, and egg white.
- Dry shake (shake without ice) vigorously for a full 60 seconds.
- Add the ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with 2 dashes of bitters.
Cranberry French 75
A classic French 75 is a tasty combo of lemon juice, gin, syrup, and Champagne. This version adds white cranberry juice for a delicious surprise.
Ingredients
- ¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce white cranberry juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 1 ounce London dry gin
- Ice
- Dry Champagne, chilled
- Lemon peel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, white cranberry juice, simple syrup, and gin.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with the chilled Champagne.
- Garnish with a lemon peel.
White Cranberry Aviation Fizz
The elegant aviation cocktail gets a flavor twist from white cranberry juice and fizzy club soda. It calls for a specific gin, Empress 1908 gin, because of the spirit's lovely purple color.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce white cranberry juice
- ½ ounce maraschino liqueur
- ¼ ounce crème de violette
- 1½ ounces Empress 1908 gin
- Ice
- Club soda
- Orange wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, white cranberry juice, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and gin.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with the club soda.
- Garnish with an orange wheel.
Fun Cranberry Cocktails
Looking for something a little different? Look no further than these fun cranberry cocktails.
Cranberry Kumquat Fizz
Kumquats are tiny sour citrus fruits. They add a fun element to this tasty drink.
Ingredients
- 2 kumquats, sliced plus 1 kumquat, halved for garnish
- ½ lime, cut into wedges
- 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
- 2 dashes cranberry cocktail bitters
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- 1½ ounces cranberry vodka
- Ice
- Ginger beer
- Cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle the sliced kumquats and lime with the sugar and bitters.
- Add the cranberry juice, cranberry vodka, and ice. Shake to chill.
- Strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with ginger beer.
- Garnish with the kumquat halves and a cherry.
Barney's Tropical Vacation
What happens when you mix red cranberry juice cocktail with blue curaçao? You get a purple drink that has the same color as Barney the dinosaur. So this drink is clearly what Barney drinks when he goes on a tropical vacation.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce cranberry juice cocktail
- ½ ounce pineapple juice
- ¾ ounce blue curaçao
- 1½ ounces coconut rum
- Ice
- Club soda
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the cranberry juice cocktail, pineapple juice, blue curaçao, and coconut rum.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Top with club soda. Stir gently.
Candied Brandied Apple
This martini style cocktail combines the tart flavor of cranberries with sweet grenadine and Calvados, a French apple brandy.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce cranberry juice
- ½ ounce grenadine
- 2 ounces Calvados (or another apple brandy)
- Ice
- Fresh cranberry for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the lemon juice, cranberry juice, grenadine, and Calvados.
- Add ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into the chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a fresh cranberry.
Frozen Cran-Raspberry Rita
Tart, sweet, and frozen, this is a refreshing take on a blended margarita.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup prepared cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup frozen raspberries
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce orange-flavored liqueur
- 1½ ounces silver tequila
- 1 cup crushed ice
Instructions
- Chill a margarita glass.
- In a blender, combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
- Pour into the chilled margarita glass.
Cranberry-Pomegranate Red Hot
Love cinnamon? Then you'll enjoy this spicy take on a cranberry cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 orange wedge
- Sugar
- ½ ounce cranberry juice
- ½ ounce pomegranate juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 1½ ounces Fireball whisky
- Ice
- Cranberries and pomegranate arils for garnish
Instructions
- Run the orange wedge around the rim of a chilled cocktail glass. Dip the rim in sugar.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine the cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and Fireball.
- Add the ice and shake to chill.
- Strain into the prepared glass. Garnish with fresh cranberries and pomegranate arils.
Cran-Apple Toddy
Looking for a tasty winter warmer? Try this cran-apple toddy with the bite of ginger.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces water
- 1 ounce cran-apple juice
- 2 slices gingerroot, peeled
- 1 ginger teabag
- 1½ ounces apple whiskey
- ½ ounce rosemary-infused vodka (optional)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the water, cran-apple juice, and gingerroot to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the teabag. Steep for five minutes.
- Discard the teabag and gingerroot and pour into a mug. Add the apple whiskey and vodka. Stir.
Cranberries Add Tart Berry Flavor
Cranberry makes a versatile cocktail ingredient. It adds tartness and berry notes and aromas to many drinks. Enjoy any of these tasty cocktails to experience cranberries at their finest.
