Christmas Cranberry Mojito
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Deck the halls with this refreshing holiday-inspired cranberry mojito! It's a festive twist on the classic mojito with homemade spiced cranberry syrup, mint, and a little fizz. It's perfect for parties and sub-zero temperatures, and it's ready in just 20 minutes!
If you love a refreshing holiday cocktail, also try our Christmas cranberry margarita or a classic whiskey ginger.
When it comes to Christmas, we're all about cocktails. There's nothing we love more than getting cozy and catching up on quality time with friends and family with a festive drink in hand.
Mojitos are our go-to drink when we're craving something refreshing and flavorful in the warmer months. This holiday-inspired version with cranberries, ginger, mint, and mulling spices is perfect for chilly temperatures.
It makes a wonderfully festive welcome cocktail for dinner parties or holiday gatherings, and it's easy to prepare in advance. If you're serving a crowd, double the recipe and serve it in a bowl for a cranberry mojito punch!
To make it, simply simmer the syrup ingredients together, strain it once it's cool, and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. When it's cocktail time, fill a tall glass with ice, rum, and fresh lime juice then top it with soda water and garnish. Then sit back, have a sip, and let the good times roll!
What is a mojito?
A mojito is a traditional Cuban drink made with white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and mint. It's a refreshing cocktail that's sweet, herbal, citrusy, and effervescent. It's a visually pretty drink and it's easy to customize as we do with this Christmas cranberry version!
Christmas mojito ingredients
This refreshing holiday cocktail strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart flavors. The tartness of cranberries is mellowed out by a sweet homemade cranberry simple syrup.
Here's everything you'll need to make the spiced mint cranberry syrup:
- Cranberries ā fresh or frozen work equally well in this syrup.
- Water
- Sugar ā choose either granulated sugar or honey to give this syrup its sweetness.
- Mint ā fresh mint for a refreshing minty taste.
- Ginger ā ginger adds lots of festive flavor to this syrup.
- Spices ā we use a mix of warming spices like peppercorns, cloves, anise, and cinnamon. If you have mulling spices on hand, you can use those instead.
Here's what you'll need for the cranberry mojito:
- Cranberry syrup
- White rum ā white rum is the spirit used in a classic mojito.
- Lime juice ā fresh is best here for that bright citrusy flavor.
- Soda water, frozen cranberries, lime slices, and mint ā for garnish.
How to make a cranberry mojito
With a few simple ingredients, you can make this festive Christmas cocktail at home. There's no muddling involved, and it's quick and easy, too.
Here's how to make this cranberry mojito recipe in a few simple steps:
- To start, make the spiced mint cranberry syrup. Put all the syrup ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Strain it so that all you have is the liquid syrup, then let it cool before making your drink or bottling it up.
- Now it's time to assemble your mojito. Add the cranberry syrup, white rum, and lime juice to a tall glass and stir. Top it with soda water to add some bubbles and garnish with frozen cranberries, lime slices, and mint.
Make it party-size! Here's how to make a pitcher of cranberry mojito:
- Add all the cranberry syrup (2 cups) along with an equal amount of white rum and 1 cup of lime juice to a pitcher filled with ice. Top with a cup of soda water, frozen cranberries, lime slices, and some mint.
Recipe FAQs
What's the best rum to use?
White rum is typically used in mojitos for its lighter color and taste.
What's the best glass to use?
We use a standard high-ball glass in the pictures and that's what we recommend.
Can I make it in advance?
To save time, yes you can definitely prepare the syrup in advance and store it in the fridge. You can also mix together the cranberry syrup, white rum, and lime juice in advance, just wait to pour it over ice until you're ready to serve it.
How long does the cranberry syrup keep in the refrigerator?
Store cranberry syrup in the fridge in a sealed jar or container for up to 2 weeks.
Christmas mojito serving ideas
Take your holidays up a festive notch with this refreshing cranberry mojito. Whether you're getting cozy by the fire, decorating a gingerbread house, or catching up with friends, this cocktail is sure to bring a little extra cheer.
Appetizers that pair well with a Christmas cranberry mojito:
Popular mojito recipes
Cranberry Mojito Recipe
Ingredients
Spiced Mint Cranberry Syrup
- 2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 cup water
- 1 cup sugar (can use honey)
- Ā½ cup fresh mint
- 5 sliced peeled ginger
- 5 peppercorns
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
Christmas Cranberry Mojito
- 2 parts cranberry syrup
- 2 parts white rum
- 1 part lime juice (fresh is best!)
- Soda water, frozen cranberries, lime slices, and mint (to serve)
Instructions
- Bring the cranberries, water, sugar, mint, ginger, peppercorns, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon to a simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve then let the syrup cool completely before making a mojito.2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, 2 cup water, Ā½ cup fresh mint, 5 sliced peeled ginger, 5 peppercorns, 5 whole cloves, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 cup sugar
Make a cranberry mojito
- Add 2 ounces of cranberry syrup, 2 ounces of white rum, and 1 ounce of lime juice to a glass filled with ice. Stir then top with soda water and garnish with frozen cranberries, lime slices, and mint.2 parts cranberry syrup, 2 parts white rum, 1 part lime juice, Soda water, frozen cranberries, lime slices, and mint
Make a pitcher of cranberry mojitos
- Add 2 cups of cranberry syrup, 2 cups of white rum, and 1 cup of lime juice to a pitcher with ice. Add 1 cup of soda water, frozen cranberries, lime slices, and some mint to the pitcher.2 parts cranberry syrup, 2 parts white rum, 1 part lime juice
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
If you love mojitos as much as we do, make sure to check out all our other cocktail recipes!
