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    Home » Recipes » Drinks & Smoothies

    Dec 23, 2021 · Modified: Dec 23, 2021 by Katie

    Sparkling Blood Orange Cranberry Mocktail

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    Ready within two minutes, this fizzy Cranberry Mocktail makes the perfect fancy holiday drink. With it's refreshing taste it could be enjoyed during summer but taste especially good during the festive season as a non-alcoholic winter mocktail. It could also easily be turned into a traditional cocktail. 

    cranberry mocktail topped with orange slice.

    If you're looking for more drinks without alcohol check out Almond Milk Eggnog or Watermelon Mojito Mocktail. 

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • What is a Mocktail?
    • Ingredients & Substitution Notes
    • How to Make A Cranberry Mocktail
    • Expert Tips
    • Storage
    • FAQs
    • Other Recipes To Try
    • Recipe

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • It makes a delicious festive drink that's best enjoyed Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Eve. 
    • It's alcohol-free- suitable for kids and during pregnancy.
    • This sparkling mocktail is super simple to make and mixed together within a few minutes!
    • It could also be enjoyed as a cocktail- simply add a shot of liquor. 

    What is a Mocktail?

    A mocktail is a cocktail without the liquor. Hence it's a festive, non-alcoholic drink that usually combines a couple of different non-alcoholic ingredients. Mocktails are perfect for everyone who doesn't want to consume alcohol but still wants to enjoy a fun beverage. 

    Ingredients & Substitution Notes

    all ingredients needed to make cranberry orange mocktail.
    • Cranberry Juice: what gives this mocktail its distinct cranberry flavour. If you can't find any regular juice, you could try replacing it with cranberry syrup instead but the amount needed will change of course.
    • Blood Orange: We use freshly squeezed blood orange juice- it's much more flavourful than store-bought one. Could be prepared in bigger batches to save even more time. If you can't find any blood oranges, you could swap them for regular oranges, but the taste might change slightly.
    • Maple Syrup: to balance out the citrusy flavours. It also adds some additional sweetness as well as delicious maple taste. You could use any sweetener of choice such as agave syrup, honey or regular granulated sugar. If you prefer a drink with no added sugar, feel free to omit it all together. 
    • Bitter Lemon: blends perfectly well with the cranberry and blood orange juices and turns this winter mocktail into a refreshing, fizzy drink. If you're not a fan of bitter lemon, you could try tonic water, ginger ale or ginger beer. Note that the taste will be different then though.
    4 glasses of cranberry mocktail.

    How to Make A Cranberry Mocktail

    Step 1: Prepare blood orange juice

    Slice a blood orange and squeeze it to get the juice. Keep an additional wedge on the side for garnish.

    • serving glass with cranberry juice in it
    • serving glass with cranberry juice, fresh blood orange juice and maple syrup in it

    Step 2: Assemble

    To a large glass add cranberry juice, maple syrup, freshly squeezed blood orange juice. Gently stir so that the maple syrup is fully dissolved. Pour in bitter lemon and ice cubes. Use a measuring cup to ensure the correct ratios. Garnish with an orange slice, fresh (or frozen) cranberries or some fresh rosemary.

    • serving glass with cranberry juice, fresh blood orange juice , maple syrup and bitter lemon in it
    • serving glass with cranberry juice, fresh blood orange juice , maple syrup and bitter lemon and ice cubes in it

    Expert Tips

    • Chill: For this mocktail to be refreshing and cold, work with chilled juices! Put them in the fridge for a couple of hours before prepaing the mocktail. That way they stay cold for longer!
    • Freshly Squeezed: For some extra flavour we highly recommend using freshly squeezed (blood) orange juice over store-bought one. 
    • Make it in advance: To save even more time, you could prepare the squeezed blood orange juice in advance. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. All of the other inredients should be mixed together shortly before serving to ensure that you end up with a fizzy, sparkling beverage!
    • Glass size: Choose a glass that's neither too big nor too small (one in the photo was a 9oz/ 260ml cocktail glass).
    • Garnish: To serve a pretty mocktail make sure to add some garnish such as a slice of orange (see photo), some mint leaves, fresh rosemary or fresh cranberries. 

    Storage

    If you want to serve this mocktail to a large group of people, you could make the freshly squeezed orange juice in a batch.

    Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.  I wouldn't advise making anything else in advance as the bitter lemon will go flat. 

    cranberry mocktail topped with ice cubes.

    FAQs

    Could it be turned into an alcoholic drink?

    Yes, this cranberry mocktail could be turned into a festive cocktail. Simply add a shot of vodka or rum (or whichever booze you prefer).

    Is it kid-friendly?

    Since this mocktail doesn't contain any alcohol, it could also be served to kids.

    Can I make this mocktail in advance?

    You could prepare the freshly squeezed blood orange juice in advance but everything else I would recommend preparing shortly before serving.

    Do cranberry and oranges go together?

    It's a typical holiday flavour combination that's usually enjoyed during the festive season. In this recipe it's used to create a delicious holiday mocktail.

    Are mocktails healthy?

    This very much depends on the individual recipe, most mocktail recipes are quite high in sugar though. On a positive note, blood oranges are also high in antioxidants and flavonoids.

    Other Recipes To Try

    • Easy Watermelon Mojito Mocktail
    • Almond Milk Eggnog (with + without eggs)
    • Strawberry Milkshake Without Ice Cream

    If you tried this or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! SIGN UP for the WSK newsletter and get the newest recipes delivered right to your inbox!

    Recipe

    cranberry mocktail topped with ice cubes and a slice of orange
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Sparkling Blood Orange & Cranberry Mocktail

    This cranberry mocktail is super versatile and can be enjoyed with or without alcohol. It's ready in less than 5 minutes and makes the perfect festive drink!
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 2 minutes
    Total Time 2 minutes
    Servings 1
    Author Katie

    Ingredients 
     

    • ⅓ cup cranberry juice
    • 3 tablespoon freshly squeezed blood orange juice (juice from ~½ a blood orange)
    • 1 tablespoon maple syrup *or sweetener of choice
    • ½ cup bitter lemon
    • ½ cup ice cubes
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    Instructions

    • Add cranberry juice, maple syrup, blood orange juice and bitter lemon to a cocktail glass.
    • Stir well with a small spoon or straw so that the maple syrup is dissolved and everything is fully combined.
    • Add ice cubes/ crushed ice and garnish with some orange slices.

    Video

    Notes

    • Glass size: Choose a glass that's neither too big nor too small (one in the photo was a 9oz/ 260ml cocktail glass).
    • Chilled juices: For this mocktail to be refreshing and cold, use cold juices! Put them in the fridge for a couple of hours before prepaing the mocktail. 
    • Make it in advance: To save even more time, you could prepare the squeezed blood orange juice in advance. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. All of the other inredients should be mixed together shortly before serving to ensure that you end up with a fizzy, sparkling beverage!
    • Alcoholic drink: Could easily be turned into an alcoholic drink- simply add a shot of vodka, rum or your liquor or choice. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 mocktail | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
    All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.
    Tried this recipe?Tag @wholefoodsoulfood__kitchen on Instagram so we can admire your creations! Or leave a rating and comment telling us how you liked it!
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