16 Delicious Cranberry Cocktail Recipes

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Polished princess cocktail — The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

Cranberry cocktails are always a hit. The majority of recipes, including the popular cosmo and vodka cranberry, require cranberry juice, so it's incredibly easy and cheap to mix up a great drink. Try adding a garnish of sugared cranberries to these refreshing libations for a festive touch.

You can do so much more with cranberry juice and fresh cranberries than mix it with vodka, though. It's very versatile, pairing well with most other fruits and any type of liquor you can think of. Let's explore amazing cocktail recipes that are all about this sweet fruit.

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Sea Breeze

The Spruce Eats

Building off the vodka and cranberry base, adding a variety of common fruit juices creates other popular drinks. For instance, orange juice gets you the madras and pineapple juice results in the bay breeze. If you prefer grapefruit juice, you'll have a tasty sea breeze. This mixed drink is as easy as all the others, and it has a great sweet-tart taste.
02 of 16

Long Beach Iced Tea

The Spruce Eats

You've heard of the Long Island iced tea, right? If you switch from cola to cranberry juice you've created a Long Beach iced tea. That one simple twist makes a world of difference in the drink. Just be ready to pour from nearly every bottle in your bar to create this one.
03 of 16

Red Lotus

The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

The cape cod (or vodka-cranberry) is one of the best-known cocktails to feature cranberry juice. As nice and easy as it is, it could use a little help at times, and there are many fun things you can do with it. For instance, adding a shot of lychee liqueur transforms that happy hour favorite into a sweet red lotus. It's a drink you'll definitely want to try.
04 of 16

Cranberry Margarita

The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

When you want to mix up a margarita during the colder months of the year, cranberry juice is the ingredient you need. In the cranberry margarita recipe, the fruit is added to the standard margarita formula to give it a seasonal spin. You'll also enjoy how it plays off the homemade apple-cinnamon tequila.

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Spiced Cranberry Margarita

The Spruce / Todd Coleman

If a plain old cranberry margarita doesn't do it for you, this spiced cranberry margarita surely will. It's made with a cinnamon-infused simple syrup and a combination of orange liqueur, tequila, lime juice, and cranberry juice.
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Purple Haze

The Spruce

There are a few recipes for the purple haze cocktail, but one of the favorites includes a dose of cranberry juice. It's another vodka-cranberry on the rocks drink, only this time you'll pour black raspberry liqueur as well. Essentially, you're adding something like Chambord, and it does add a nice depth to the drink.
07 of 16

Watermelon Cosmo

Lucas Bols

The other famous cranberry juice cocktail is the one and only cosmopolitan. This fruity martini is the star of the modern martini menu and it's really fun to play around with. When summer's in full swing, adding a shot of watermelon liqueur to the recipe to create the refreshing watermelon cosmo. It's perfectly sweet, refreshing, and an absolute delight on a hot day.
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Pink Honey Martini

The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

For another fun and simple twist on the cosmo, try the pink honey martini recipe. It pairs your favorite vodka with Bärenjager honey liqueur for a sweet base. The cranberry juice is just a small splash to give it a hint of fruitiness and bring the drink's flavor into perfect balance.

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09 of 16

Woo Woo

The Spruce Eats

When you want that vodka-cranberry taste with a peachy flair, give the woo-woo a try. The drink is tasty and simply tosses a little peach schnapps into the mix. If you thought all "up" cocktails were stuffy, this one will show you otherwise.
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Washington Apple

The Spruce Eats

What happens when you add cranberry to a whiskey appletini? You get another popular drink called the Washington apple. This recipe specifically calls for Crown Royal, but you can use any whiskey you prefer. The best part? The whiskey, sour apple schnapps, and cranberry juice are equal pours, so you really can't screw it up.
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Cranberry Ginger Shandy

S&C Design Studios

For a lower ABV cocktail, try mixing up a cranberry ginger shandy. The mix of cranberry juice, ginger beer, lemon juice, and beer is refreshing and balanced. Use a wheat beer or pale ale for the best results, since a dark or hoppy beer will conflict with the other ingredients.
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Candy Appley

The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

Who's in the mood for a little moonshine? Specifically, we're talking about a salted caramel whiskey, and it is as interesting and delicious as it sounds. The candy appley cocktail recipe pairs it with a great apple liqueur, cranberry juice, and a sparkling cider. It's a lot of fun and sure to be a hit at any autumn party.

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Christmas Margarita

The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

A snowy white take on the margarita, this holiday drink is made with coconut milk, tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and white cranberry juice. Serve Christmas margaritas with cranberry and fresh rosemary garnishes for a festive cocktail.
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Poinsettia

The Spruce Eats

Simple sparkling cocktails like the peachy Bellini are well-loved and you have to appreciate their ease. When you want to switch the fruit over to cranberry, just follow this poinsettia recipe. All you need is an orange liqueur, cranberry juice, and Champagne and a fantastic drink is ready for your holiday party.
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Gummy Bear Margarita

The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

You can't help but have fun with this margarita recipe. There's a lot going on, so grab the tequila, Watermelon Pucker, triple sec, sour mix, cranberry juice, and grenadine. It seems like a lot, but the taste is totally worth it. Just don't forget the playful garnish!
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Polished Princess

The Spruce Eats / Teena Agnel

While you have those fresh cranberries, be sure to mix up a polished princess. This is a very seasonal recipe and ideal for fall when the berries reach their peak. It uses a vanilla vodka base and a pinch of pumpkin spice along with the sweet berries. You'll find that it's great for any autumn dinner party.