Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail

A refreshing mix of cranberry, apple, and rosemary, this Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail is sweet, tangy, and bubbly and filled with the Holiday spirit! Cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, and sparkling apple cider come together with a little rosemary syrup and seltzer to make this bright and refreshing non-alcoholic drink. 

Perfect for the Holiday season or just an everyday way to feel a bit fancy, you'll want to bookmark this one!

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Whenever I teach a brunch class, or do one of my TV appearances, I always like to start things off with a cute little beverage, like this Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail. Since there seems to be a lot of cranberry sauce in my fridge with all of the holiday gatherings between Thanksgiving and the New Year, I thought "why not use some of it for the base of a refreshing drink?" So I did.

Just because you’re alcohol free doesn’t mean your beverages have to be boring. Whether it's Dry January or you choose sobriety every day, you too deserve a festive beverage, and this nonalcoholic mixed drink does the trick. Your breakfast and brunch just got more delicious and I'm here for it!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Six simple ingredients are all you need to make this delicious sparkling cranberry mocktail with rosemary (which is optional, but highly recommended). Let's go over each one and see how you can make adjustments to suit you and your life:

• Cranberry sauce - Like I said, there seems to be a lot of cranberry sauce in my refrigerator at the end of the year, either homemade or store-bought, but if you don't have any, you can use cranberry jam or preserves. You can also leave it out if you want and just go with cranberry juice.
• Cranberry sauce, Part 2 - If you don't have leftover cranberry sauce, and you don't want to go out and buy cranberry jam or preserves, you can also make a cranberry simple syrup. Just boil one cup of cranberry juice with one cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Let cool and store in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to four weeks, then add it to your mocktails all month long!
• Cranberry juice - Because cranberry sauce is already sweetened, I use unsweetened cranberry juice in this cranberry spritzer. You can also also use cranberry juice cocktail, but your mocktail will be a bit sweeter.
• Sparkling apple cider - You can also use sparkling white grape juice or any other non-alcoholic sparkling beverage. It should be a sweetened drink, to offset the tartness of the cranberry juice.
• Sugar - There's no sweetness in tart cranberry juice, so I like to add just a touch of simple syrup, which is made with granulated sugar and water, to balance the flavors. You could substitute with maple syrup or, if you want to keep your mocktail on the tart side, feel free to leave it out.
• Rosemary - Adding rosemary to your simple syrup brings a delightful herbaceous note, but you can skip that if you like. I also love a sprig of rosemary as a festive garnish in my finished drink.
• Cranberries - These are just for pretty reasons, but then, I like nice things.
• Seltzer water - An optional ingredient, not shown in the picture, I like to add seltzer water or soda water to make my mocktail slightly less sweet and even more bubbly. You can replace it with more sparkling cider or even ginger ale would be a great option.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Instructions

Start by making the rosemary simple syrup and cranberry purée that fills this festive drink with your favorite seasonal flavors.

• Rosemary simple syrup - Boil equal amounts of sugar and water with a couple of sprigs of rosemary and let it cool. Remove the rosemary and store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. 
• Cranberry purée - Use an immersion blender, small food chopper, or personal blender to purée ¾ cup of cranberry sauce with ¼ cup of pure cranberry juice until fairly smooth and pourable. Store the purée in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 
• Note - If you don't want to make a purée, you can add a little cranberry sauce to the bottom of your glass and use a muddler to break up any large pieces of fruit.

Now—let's make a cranberry spritzer!

Step 1: Spoon one tablespoon purée into a tall glass. I like to use a stemless Champagne flute for fancy reasons.

Step 2: Add one tablespoon of rosemary syrup.

Step 3: Add ice cubes and some fresh cranberries.

Step 4: Fill the glass ⅔ full with unsweetened cranberry juice.

Step 5: Fill almost to the top with sparkling apple cider.

Step 6: Top with sparkling water or club soda, if desired.

Finish: Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary, because you're a festive soul. Stir with a long straw, sip, and enjoy!

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