Serve up this quick and easy cranberry juice mocktail for your holiday celebrations! It's so easy to make with just a handful of ingredients, has no cook time and is full of festive flavor.
For more fruit drink ideas, have a peek at my peach mocktail and berry mocktail for next time!
This post was updated September 14, 2025 with a revised recipe method and new photos.
🎄 Cranberry Juice Mocktail Overview
💭 Difficulty level: Very, very easy!
⏲️ Prep time: 3-5 minutes
🍹 Main ingredients: cranberry juice, ginger and sparkling water
🔪 Equipment required: Cocktail shaker (or mason jar)
🎄 Occasion: Perfect for Christmas drinks, Thanksgiving and holiday celebrations
⭐ Why It's so Good! Fun, easy to make cranberry mocktail for holiday drinks, no cook mocktail, minimal ingredients, family friendly
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🍹 Ingredients
All the ingredients for this cranberry mocktail are in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Cranberry juice - I like to use 100% pure cranberry juice as it has a lot of sweet and tart flavor. For a 'softer' flavor you can use a cranberry juice cocktail (which is diluted with water, and is also known as cranberry drink), but check ingredients if you're a low histamine reader.
- Ginger - I like to use fresh root ginger to add a touch of warming spice.
- Rosemary - an optional ingredient, but gives a little herby hum
- Maple syrup - also optional, to add sweetness if you like to balance out the tart cranberry juice.
📖 Swaps and Variations
Leave out the rosemary or ginger. If you want a really simple 3 ingredient cranberry juice mocktail you can just use cranberry juice, maple syrup and sparkling water.
🔪 How to Make Cranberry Juice Mocktails
It's very easy to make a fun fruity mocktail with cranberry juice, and it takes a few minutes to do. All you need is a cocktail shaker or mason jar and fine mesh sieve.
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Combine ingredients
Pour the cranberry juice into your cocktail shaker, along with a slice of fresh root ginger, rosemary sprig, maple syrup and some ice cubes. Shake well to combine and chill the mixture (image 1).
Step 2: Strain and serve!
Pour about 2 tablespoon of the cranberry juice mixture into a glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with frozen cranberries, or I like to use redcurrants and blackcurrants (image 2).
💭 Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use pure cranberry juice for a more intense flavor, or cranberry cocktail for a 'softer' fruit taste.
- Make the drink as close to serving as possible to keep the bubbles!
- Adjust the amount of syrup to taste preference. It is quite flavorful so you don't need too much in each glass. I suggest to taste test, and adjust to how you like it.
📋 Frequently Asked Questions
You can always leave out the rosemary if you prefer, and have a cranberry ginger mocktail instead.
Yes, you can swap and use honey for a sweetener.
You can use a mason jar instead of a cocktail shaker, and then strain through a fine mesh sieve into your glass.
Cranberries score 0 on the SIGHI list, but be mindful of personal sensitivities. This mocktail uses cranberry juice, which isn't specifically mentioned. If juice works for you, then I suggest to use a 100% pure cranberry juice or to check ingredients labels of other products.
🍸 More Mocktails
Find fun drinks for all the seasons, whether my cantaloupe mocktail or cucumber mint mocktail for summer BBQs or my blueberry mocktail for festive parties, on my mocktails page. Some recent recipes to try out:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Juice Mocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker or mason jar
Ingredients
- ¼ cup cranberry juice
- 1 slice fresh root ginger
- 1 small sprig rosemary optional
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- sparkling water
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Add ice to your serving glass.
- Pour the cranberry juice into your cocktail shaker, and add in a slice of fresh root ginger, rosemary sprig (optional), maple syrup and 2-3 ice cubes. Shake well.
- Strain the cranberry juice into your glass, so you use about 2 tablespoon per glass (adjust to taste preference and glass size). Pour on sparkling water. Garnish with berries and a rosemary sprig to serve.
Notes
- Cranberry juice that uses 100% cranberry juice has a more intense flavor than cranberry juice cocktail (also known as cranberry drink, depending on country), which is diluted with water and other ingredients.
- Adjust the amount of syrup per glass to taste preference.
- The rosemary is optional, but adds a nice touch of herby taste.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- cranberries score 0 on the SIGHI list, but cranberry juice is not listed. Personally I use 100% pure cranberry juice, but please only use if you know you tolerate well.
- ginger, which scores 1.
- sparkling water is not rated on the SIGHI list.
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