Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail

‘Tis the season to make a toast with this Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail. The festive flavors in this quick and easy drink are great on their own and are also a perfect pairing for any type of snack.

“This was off the charts fantastic. I served the drink in a martini glass rimmed with red sanding sugar. Best holiday drink ever!!”

—Dave

Make Your Spirit Bright With This Cranberry Holiday Cocktail

I firmly believe that being a good holiday host includes welcoming your guests with a drink. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, it can certainly be a mocktail, but offering something when they arrive makes them feel cozy, at home, and welcomed.

If it’s going to be a cocktail, my Cranberry Rosemary Cocktail is a go-to around here for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and all of the random celebrations in between.

It comes together lighting quick, with just a few ingredients. You can make one or two, or stir up a big pitcher of it, and it pairs beautifully with all types of food. It’s a big warm welcome, in a glass.

Start your Cranberry Holiday Cocktail with a Simple Syrup

Please click over to my post for rosemary simple syrup and make that recipe before you begin to make your cranberry rosemary cocktail. Or, if you can find store bought rosemary simple syrup near you, go ahead and buy it!

But if you’re making homemade syrup for this Christmas cranberry cocktail, it will take you just 15 minutes to make, and 10 of those minutes are allowing the syrup to stand at room temperature. So yeah, it’s pretty easy.

The simple syrup will keep fresh in your fridge for at least 5 days, so you can enjoy a few rounds of rosemary cranberry cocktails throughout the week (or even stir the syrup into honey lemonade or agave lemonade for an alcohol free refresher).

Christmas Cranberry Cocktail Ingredients

• vodka – use a good quality unflavored vodka for this cranberry rosemary cocktail. I like Valentine Vodka made here in my home town of Ferndale, MI, or Tito’s, which is a national brand. This is also what I use in my jello shot recipe Halloween and my basil cocktail!
• cranberry juice – try to find a high-quality juice that is 100% cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail).
• rosemary simple syrup – linked to in the section above and the recipe card below, my recipe for this easy homemade cocktail syrup takes just about 15 minutes to make, and can be made and refrigerated in advance. Especially a great idea when you have leftover rosemary after making my oven baked salmon recipe or mini Hasselback potatoes.
• ice – crucial for this cranberry rosemary cocktail, obviously.
• rosemary sprigs, lime wedges and fresh cranberries, for garnish – these are optional but make it oh so pretty. Leftover fresh cranberries can be used to make a cranberry tart pie or cranberry coffee cake.

How to Make a Cranberry Cocktail

1. ICE + SYRUP. Fill a double old fashioned glass with ice and pour in the rosemary simple syrup.

2. JUICE. Add the cranberry juice.

3. VODKA. Add the vodka.

4. STIR + GARNISH. Give it a really good stir until everything is well combined. Serve garnished with rosemary sprig, lime wedge and/or fresh cranberries, if desired.

Make This Holiday Cranberry Cocktail For a Crowd

Having a big gathering and want to make this Christmas cranberry cocktail in a pitcher? Let’s do it! For a pitcher that will serve 8, the measurements are:

• 2 cups vodka
• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup rosemary simple syrup

Stir everything together in a big pitcher, and then simply pour over ice in glasses to serve!

More Ideas for Rosemary Infused Simple Syrup Cocktails

• BOURBON – My bourbon lemon rosemary cocktail is an herby twist on a classic bourbon sour cocktail. It uses the same homemade rosemary simple syrup. Bourbon lovers will also enjoy my whiskey mule recipe!
• GIN – The rosemary gin cocktail I linked to up in the first sentence of this post is a refreshing blend of fresh orange juice, gin, tonic water and rosemary simple syrup.
• A DIFFERENT VODKA IDEA – My vodka grapefruit cocktail is a fizzy and refreshing drink that pairs perfectly with food.

What to Pair With This Cranberry Cocktail Christmas Drink

You can never go wrong with melted cheese and bread, so my savory baked brie is always a crowd pleaser. The cheese is topped with basil pesto and roasted garlic, and it’s the stuff dreams are made of to munch on with this cranberry rosemary cocktail recipe.

My Greek chicken meatballs and turkey meatball recipe air fryer can be served as either main dishes or a party snacks, and they’re great with this Christmas cranberry cocktail. Don’t forget to make the yogurt dipping sauces – my favorite part!

If you’re into cured meats like prosciutto, I highly recommend my charcuterie cups, jarcuterie or even a charcuterie chalet to nibble on alongside a rosemary cranberry cocktail.

My prosciutto Italian sandwich recipe has an herby mayo that echos the rosemary flavor in this drink.

For even more ideas, see my New Year’s Eve food and Valentine’s Day snacks posts. They’re all great for ANY occasion, not just those holidays.