This cranberry juice mocktail is so easy and perfect for when you want a fancy drink but aren't drinking alcohol. It's made with four simple ingredients but has a ton of flavor.
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Why We Love This Mocktail
It's easy: This mocktail only takes about five minutes and doesn't require any shaking, fancy equipment, or unfamiliar ingredients.
It's tasty: This mocktail is made with cranberry juice cocktail, fresh orange and lime juice, and ginger ale. It's fresh, full of flavor, and perfectly balanced.
It's perfect for all seasons: This drink definitely has fall and holiday vibes because of the cranberry and orange juices, but it's so light and refreshing that it's perfectly suited for spring or summer too!
Looking for other great alcohol-free drinks? Try our coconut water mocktail, grapefruit iced tea, or strawberry hibiscus tea.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Cranberry Juice Cocktail: Cranberry juice cocktail generally includes cranberry juice and some kind of sweetener, so it's sweeter than plain cranberry juice, which is quite tart and unpleasant on its own. If you want to change things up, many grocery stores carry cranberry juice cocktail blends (like cran-apple, cran-mango, etc.). Those combos are also great in this recipe!
Fresh orange juice: We use the juice from an orange in this recipe, not bottled orange juice. It's so much more flavorful than the bottled stuff, so don't skip it!
Fresh lime juice: The base of this drink is muddled lime, and it's just so fresh and good. The pulp is subtle but really adds something to this drink, so don't replace the fresh lime with bottled lime juice.
Ginger ale: We top this drink with ginger ale, which adds flavor, fizz, and some sugar. You can substitute zero sugar ginger ale (that's actually what we typically use), tonic water, or ginger beer.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add lime wedges to the bottom of a low ball cocktail glass and muddle with a cocktail muddler until the juice is released.
Step 2: Add orange juice, cranberry juice, and ice to the glass and stir.
Step 3: Top the glass with ginger ale, garnish with a rosemary sprig and orange slice, and enjoy!
Top Tips
- Switch things up by using a cranberry juice blend. We love cranberry apple, for example!
- Don't use pure cranberry juice—it's far too bitter and this drink needs the extra sweetness from the sugar in cranberry juice cocktail.
- Use fresh oranges and limes—it makes all the difference and the pulp adds really great texture.
- If you don't have room in your glass to top it off with ginger ale, just take a couple of sips first (or transfer some of the excess liquid to another glass and make part of a second mocktail).
Frequently asked questions
We don't recommend making this ahead of time. The ginger ale loses its fizz quickly.
Yes! The flavors in this mocktail pair perfectly with a shot of gin. If you don't like gin, use vodka instead.
A wooden spoon works perfectly if you don't have a cocktail muddler! You basically just need something that's sturdy, fits in a glass, and is good at smashing things.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Juice Mocktail
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Description
This cranberry juice mocktail is so easy and perfect for when you want a fancy drink but aren't drinking alcohol. It's made with four simple ingredients but has a ton of flavor.
Ingredients
¼ of a lime, cut into small wedges
Juice from ½ of an orange
½ cup cranberry juice cocktail
Ice
Ginger ale, for topping off
Rosemary springs and orange slices, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Add lime wedges to the bottom of a low ball cocktail glass and muddle with a cocktail muddler until the juice is released.
- Add orange juice, cranberry juice, and ice to the glass and stir.
- Top the glass with ginger ale, garnish with a rosemary sprig and orange slice, and enjoy!
Notes
Cranberry juice cocktail generally includes cranberry juice and some kind of sweetener, so it's sweeter than plain cranberry juice, which is quite tart and unpleasant on its own.
If you don't have a cocktail muddler, use a wooden spoon instead.
Nutritional information is only an estimate.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Drinks
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 drink
- Calories: 126
- Sugar: 26.6 g
- Sodium: 7.7 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.2 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Michael says
Love this mocktail, it's very refreshing and taste great!
Wendy/Happy Apple Vegan says
Hanging onto this for the holidays--but enjoying this sparkler before, too! Love mocktails, and this one is such lovely, just tangy flavor.
Amy says
Delicious and easy to make! Great to enjoy on a summer evening or to serve for guests.
John says
This Mocktail was able to push back the Sunday Blues at the end of summer. We'll be making this one all the time.
Meg says
This mocktail is delicious and refreshing! It’s so nice to enjoy on days you want a fun drink but don’t want alcohol. It’s also great to make for parties to offer a non alcoholic option for those who don’t drink. It’s always a huge hit!
Sharie says
Wonderful mocktail! Look forward to using this a lot in the future!