Looking for a fun non-alcoholic party drink for a special occasion? This festive cranberry mocktail is fresh and fruity, and full of flavour. Everyone will love it during the holiday season!
Love fruity mocktails? My sparkling cherry mocktail is perfect for the holidays too!
Gone are the days of holding a boring glass of water at a party if wine or beer isn't for you! Mocktails feel quite indulgent and just as fun as an alcoholic drink for a special occasion. My mum and sister always join me in enjoying one at family events (and the kids too!).
For more fun mocktails, you may like to see my peach honey mocktail and lychee mocktail which are perfect for summer BBQs, and my blackberry honey mocktail that has all the fall vibes. And my yeast free ginger beer is always tasty!
This cranberry blueberry mocktail recipe combines sweet tangy fruit with honey to make a simple syrup that is topped with sparkling water. Full of flavour, and the pretty colour looks so festive too!
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Why this recipe is so good
Full of festive fruit! Cranberries are 'the' fruit of the season, and this drink is perfect for parties and special occasions during the holidays.
A non-alcoholic for all your guests. Whether you aren't able to drink alcohol or just like a break from the wine, this mocktail shows that you aren't missing out on a fun flavourful drink!
Easy to make. This is a very simple recipe, without any complicated steps or too many ingredients. After all, it's far better to spend time with your guests than be in the kitchen making drinks!
Ingredients
Just a few ingredients to make this drink. You will need:
- Cranberries - fresh or frozen both work well. I would say I prefer how easily the frozen cranberries 'squash' down (to use the scientific term . . .) in comparison to fresh berries.
- Blueberries - as with the cranberries, you can use fresh or frozen.
- Honey - to make the simple syrup that is the base of the drink.
- Cardamom - optional, but a little sprinkle is nice to give a little kick of spice.
- Sparkling water - I suggest using a plain sparkling water rather than a heavy mineralised one as that would likely overpower the taste of the fruit.
Variations to the recipe
You can use either fresh or frozen fruit. As noted above, I find that frozen cranberries actually burst more easily than fresh and cook down into a syrup more easily than fresh ones.
The cardamom is optional, so feel free to leave out if you prefer just fruit.Make sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients and their quantities!
Step by step instructions
Step 1
Add the berries, mint, honey and still water to a pot and bring to a boil. Stir well to combine and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, pressing against the berries with a wooden spoon if they aren't bursting and cooking down. The mixture should turn into a thick syrup. It almost looks like my cranberry sauce recipe!
Step 2
Allow the mixture to cool, then spoon into a sieve placed over a bowl. Allow the syrup to strain through the sieve, pressing with a spoon to help it along.
Step 3
Pour the syrup into the bottom of your glasses, so there is about ½ inch of cranberry syrup. Add ice cubes, and then top with sparkling water. Garnish with berries and mint leaves to make it look extra festive!
Recipe tips and notes
- You can make this mocktail with just cranberries, but they are quite tart so I find some blueberries offsets this and gives extra flavour.
- Make the drink as close to serving as possible to keep the bubbles!
- Adjust the amount of syrup to taste preference. It is quite flavourful so you don't need too much in each glass.
More mocktails to enjoy
Find fun non-alcoholic drinks suitable for all the seasons, whether my cantaloupe 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 tried the recipe!
Recipe
Cranberry mocktail
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves more to garnish
- pinch cardamom powder optional
- 2 tablespoon still water
- sparkling water
- ice cubes
Instructions
- Add the berries, mint, honey and still water to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to help burst any berries that are not breaking down.
- Transfer the mixture to a sieve placed over a bowl. Strain the mixture through, using a spoon to help it press through. Discard the mixture left in the sieve.
- Spoon around ½ inch of the syrup into your glasses and add ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with berries and mint. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a wooden spoon to help press the berries that are not bursting, so as to make a syrup. This will help them pass through the sieve more easily.
- Cardamom is optional.
- Adjust the amount of syrup per glass to taste preference.
- cranberries score 0 on the SIGHI list, but I have heard that some persons have been told they are higher histamine. If your doctor or dietician has advised not to consume, always follow their advice.
- sparkling water is not rated on the SIGHI list.
- cardamom scores 0 but with a note that states some varieties may not be well tolerated.
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