Festive, fruity, and fizzy- mix up a Poinsettia Cocktail! It's the perfect way to celebrate the merriment of the holiday season. It's a simple yet sophisticated beverage made of cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and sparkling wine. You'll love this stunning red celebratory drink that adds a touch of elegance to any holiday gathering.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
This cranberry-spiked sparkling cocktail is a holiday must-have! It combines the tartness of cranberry juice, the citrusy notes of orange liqueur, and the effervescence of champagne into one stunning drink.
No wonder it is named after the gorgeous poinsettia flower- with its vibrant color, bubbly nature, and refreshing flavors that perfectly capture the spirit of the holiday season! You don't even need a cocktail shaker to make this elegant drink. It comes together right in one glass.
You can also try our slow-cooker mulled wine, this cranberry old fashioned, and this pomegranate gin cocktail, this Aperol sour, or this pear martini if you're looking for more easy yet delicious concoctions for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, or other winter holiday parties. Cheers!
Jump to:
❤️Why we love this recipe
- An easy cocktail made with simple ingredients. You will have a glassful of this goodness using a minimum of three ingredients in under five minutes. So simple yet elegant!
- Stunning presentation fit for festive occasions. The vibrant red color, the bubbles, and the addition of fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs make it visually appealing and fit for winter holiday parties! It's the perfect welcoming drink for guests, an aperitif for parties, and a refreshing drink to accompany your holiday feast.
- Customizable. It's easy to adjust the ratios of cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and sparkling wine to suit your tastes.
- Suits multiple diet types. This drink is vegan, gluten-free, and can be made with reduced sugar.
🥂Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Orange liqueur. You can use Cointreau, Triple Sec, or even Grand Marnier for this recipe. It adds sweetness and a hint of citrus to the drink.
- Cranberry juice. This fruity red juice is what gives this cocktail its signature color. We use cranberry juice cocktail for a little added sweetness.
- Sparkling wine. You can also use Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, or any dry sparkling wine to make this.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Use fresh orange juice. If you do not have orange liqueur, you can use fresh squeezed orange juice in this drink.
- Make a mocktail. It is easy to make a non-alcoholic version of this drink for little ones to enjoy. Just swap the orange liqueur for orange juice and use sparkling water, lemon-lime soda, or sparkling apple juice instead of champagne or wine. Kids need to celebrate too, right?
- Reduced sugar version. Use diet cranberry juice and pure orange juice or orange-flavored extract instead of triple sec to reduce the amount of carbs and sugar for this recipe.
- Amp the fruitiness. If you like to double up on the cranberry flavor, you can add a splash of our homemade cranberry simple syrup to the mix. This also will make the drink a little bit on the sweet side.
- Use other red juices. Aside from using cranberry juice, you can also use pomegranate juice, raspberry, or red grapefruit juice to make this poinsettia drink.
- Less sweet. Use pure cranberry juice instead of cranberry juice cocktail to make the drink a little less sweet. You can also scale back on the amount of orange liqueur too.
- More sweet. For a sweeter drink, increase the amount of cranberry juice cocktail.
🔪Prep work
- Place the cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and champagne/sparkling wine in the fridge to chill before using them.
- Choose a champagne flute or a wine glass for an elegant presentation. If you like, you can rim the glass with sugar by rubbing an orange wedge around the rim and dipping it in granulated sugar.
📋Instructions
Pour cranberry juice into the bottom of the champagne flute. (Image 1) .
✨Pro Tip: Chill your glasses and ingredients beforehand to ensure your drink stays cold for as long as possible.
Add in the orange liqueur. (Image 2) Stir to combine if desired.
Top with sparkling wine. (Image 3)
Garnish with cranberries and a rosemary sprig. (Image 4)
Serve and enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Chill the ingredients. For the best results, ensure that the cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and champagne/sparkling wine are well-chilled before making your cocktail. Adding ice is not an option as it will water down the drink.
- Chill your glassware. Place the glassware in the freezer for a short time before serving to ensure it's extra chilled. This adds to the overall refreshing feel of the cocktail.
- Pour gently. Pour the champagne or sparkling wine slowly to prevent it from foaming over.
- For a sweeter drink. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, choose a sweeter sparkling wine or add a small amount of simple syrup or our cranberry simple syrup to the cranberry and orange liqueur mixture.
- Avoid sweet wines, unless you like them sweet. Don’t use a sweet sparkling wine. Choose something more dry, or else the cocktail will be too sweet for many palates.
- For a deeper red color. If you want a deeper ruby-red hue, you can add a few drops of liquid red food coloring.
Need supplies? Shop our Amazon store! Stock your pantry, and find all of our favorite kitchen tools! A Full Living LLC earns a small commission through purchases on our storefront to help support this site.
💭Frequently Asked Questions
We do not recommend making it in advance as it is best served with champagne or sparkling wine just poured in to enjoy its fizziness!
Sure! To make this drink for a crowd, you can scale up the ingredients and mix the cranberry juice and orange liqueur in a pitcher, then pour into individual glasses and top with sparkling wine when ready to serve.
🎄More Festive Cocktail Recipes To Consider
Did you try this recipe? Make sure to leave a 5-star review below! 🌟 This helps other readers find our recipes and encourages them to try them. Also, be sure to leave a comment with your experience. Follow along, and tag @AFullLiving on Instagram with your photos!
📖 Recipe
Poinsettia Cocktail
Equipment
- champagne flutes
- bar spoon
Ingredients
- ½ ounce orange liqueur, chilled (Triple Sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier)
- 2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail, chilled
- 4 ounces sparkling wine of choice, chilled (Prosecco, or any dry sparkling wine)
- Fresh cranberries for garnish optional
- Orange twist or sprig of rosemary for garnish optional
Instructions
- Chill the glasses in the freezer or with ice for a few minutes before making the cocktail. Make sure the cranberry juice, sparkling wine and orange liqueur are chilled as well.
- Pour 2 ounces of cranberry juice and ½ ounce of orange liqueur into the glass. Gently stir to mix them together.
- Top the glass with about 4 ounces of sparkling wine. Pour it slowly to prevent it from foaming over.
- Garnish with a few fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary into the glass for a festive look.
- Serve the cocktail right away while the sparkling wine is effervescent. Enjoy!
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Chill the ingredients. For the best results, ensure that the cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and champagne/sparkling wine are well-chilled before making your cocktail. Adding ice is not an option as it will water down the drink.
- Chill your glassware. Place the glassware in the freezer for a short time before serving to ensure it's extra chilled. This adds to the overall refreshing feel of the cocktail.
- Pour gently. Pour the champagne or sparkling wine slowly to prevent it from foaming over.
- For a sweeter drink. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, choose a sweeter sparkling wine or add a small amount of simple syrup or our cranberry simple syrup to the cranberry and orange liqueur mixture.
- Avoid sweet wines, unlesss you like them sweet. Don’t use a sweet sparkling wine. Choose something more dry, or else the cocktail will be too sweet for many palates.
- For a deeper red color. If you want a deeper ruby-red hue, you can add a few drops of liquid red food coloring.
Comments
No Comments