A cranberry mimosa (also called a Poinsettia cocktail or Christmas Mimosa) is a cranberry lover’s version of the standard mimosa – tart cranberries pair perfectly with a sugar-rimmed glass and sparkling champagne bubbles. Two main ingredients and they’re ready in 5 minutes! Serve alongside your favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes.
I’m going to get right to the point – this drink right here will lend itself to a holly jolly Christmas! Say hello to the Cranberry Mimosa.
You might also hear these called Poinsettias, which is adorable.
I know some people don’t care for orange juice, but that doesn’t mean they should have to forfeit mimosas at brunch. These cranberry Christmas cocktails are more than suitable as a holiday party cocktail!
The tartness of the cranberry juice pairs perfectly with the sparkling bubbles. It’s a glass full of holiday cheer!
Ingredients for mimosas
When you’re talking about a classic mimosa recipe, the ingredients are:
- Sparkling wine (champagne or prosecco)
- Orange juice
- Optionally, some recipes call for Grand Marnier
But for a cranberry mimosa recipe, you’ll want:
- Sparkling wine (champagne or prosecco)
- Cranberry juice (not cranberry juice cocktail!)
- Orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Cointreau triple sec – completely optional. I don’t add it myself, but others enjoy it!
How to make the best cranberry mimosas
- Use cold ingredients. Make sure both your cranberry juice and champagne are chilled, and keep any you don’t use in the fridge until people inevitably ask for seconds!
- Serve in champagne flutes. They’re designed to retain the bubbles. And if you’re looking to make these for a crowd this holiday and don’t want to worry about people breaking your nice champagne flutes, I highly recommend these disposable recyclable ones that come in a set of 12 (aff link).
They’re super cheap, no dishes to worry about, and they hold the alcohol which is really the most important piece. And you can get them with or without stems! - Garnish the rims. I love to rim each glass with sugar – King Arthur Flour Sparkling White Sugar (aff link), to be exact. It’s the only kind of sugar that I like to use as a garnish anymore. It’s perfect to rim cocktail glasses, and to sprinkle on baked goods. Just add a little water around the rim of the glass, then dip in the sugar.
- Add more garnish! Since we’re talking garnish, I also love adding a sprig of fresh rosemary, or a few fresh cranberries to each glass. It’s not only a beautiful garnish, it’s a snack! And if you pop them in the freezer, they’ll help keep your drink cold. I love a multitasker, don’t you?
- Choose the right champagne for your tastes. I prefer to use an Extra Dry or Brut, but you can use whatever type you prefer. This picture shows you the different variations in sweetness if you need help deciding.
How to make cranberry mimosas for a crowd
You don’t want to combine the cranberry juice and champagne in a pitcher and stir it because it messes with the natural carbonation from the champagne. Just the act of pouring the champagne into the glass will mix your drink just fine.
So, to serve a crowd you’ll just pour 4 ounces of cranberry juice into as many glasses that you need, and top each off with the champagne. A 1.5L champagne bottle holds about 6 cups (48 ounces) so if you multiplied this recipe by 5 you’d have enough for 10 people using a single bottle of champagne.
How to make non-alcoholic cranberry mimosas
To make yourself cranberry mimosa mocktails, you can just swap the sparkling wine for non-alcoholic sparking grape juice!
Holiday meal pairings
A cranberry mimosa pairs perfectly with your holiday meals!
Set your table with an apple cider brined turkey, cornbread and bacon stuffing, roasted delicata squash and brussels sprouts, creamy pureed parsnips and top it all off with a beautiful glass of cranberry mimosa next to each person’s plate.
After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!
2-Ingredient Cranberry Mimosa (Poinsettia Cocktail)
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail
- 8 ounces sparkling wine, champagne or prosecco
- Sparkling sugar, for garnish
- Fresh cranberries, for garnish
- Fresh rosemary sprig, for garnish
Instructions
- Rim two champagne glasses with a little water or simple syrup and then dip in sparking sugar.Sparkling sugar
- Pour ¼ cup cranberry juice in each champagne glass.4 ounces cranberry juice
- Add ½ cup sparkling wine to each glass.8 ounces sparkling wine
- Top with a few fresh or frozen cranberries and serve immediately. Enjoy!Fresh cranberries | Fresh rosemary sprig
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Tejashri
Hi! I love how informative and great your articles are. Can you recommend any other blogs that share information about the best Indian Grocery stores or gourmet food stores? Thanks a lot!
Valerie Hudelson
Easy and fun for Christmas morning mimosas.
Leslie Kiszka
I agree! Thanks for leaving a comment and rating!
Anita
Do u think we could add a splash of chambord to this ?
Leslie Kiszka
Absolutely, that sounds delightful!
Wiss
recipe is good , although 1/4 cup is 2 oz. not 4oz and 1/2 cup is 4 oz. not 8oz. 8oz. equals one cup .
Leslie Kiszka
That’s correct. That’s why it’s listed to add 1/4 cup cranberry juice in each champagne glass (2 ounces each, 4 ounces total), and add 1/2 cup sparkling wine to each glass (4 ounces each, 8 ounces total).
Sarah
This is traditionally called a poinsettia
Leslie Kiszka
Yep! I call that out in the beginning of the post – it’s such a cute name, but so many people don’t know about it, so they search for “cranberry mimosas”.
Julie
So easy! This is my go to drink when people come over now and its always ahit.
Lorri
Pitcher? Or one of those glass dispensers? Thinking Christmas wedding tipple.
Leslie Haasch
Since it uses champagne that will lose its carbonation, it doesn’t work well mixed in a pitcher like you would with some other drinks.
Lorri Johnston
I wonder if this would be a good “pitcher” served drink.? My son and his fiancé are getting married on dec 12.
Ardina
How do you make this for a crowd?
Leslie Haasch
Hi Ardina! I’m not sure how many people you’re looking to serve, but a 1.5L champagne bottle holds ~6 cups (give or take) so if you multiplied this recipe by 5 you’d have enough for 10 people using a single bottle of champagne. Hope that helps!
Susan Galloway
What kind of champagne do you use? Maybe I missed it but I didn’t see if you specified. I love sparkling moscato but wasn’t sure if that would work. I hope I can make mine look as pretty as you did ?
Leslie Haasch
I didn’t specify because it’s up to you and what you like :) I personally prefer extra dry champagne, but if you like a sweeter one, go for it!
Nanci
Does this recipe use cranberry cocktail or unsweetened pure cranberry juice?
Leslie Haasch
I use unsweetened pure cranberry juice, but if it’s too tart for you (even with the other ingredients), but can use a cranberry cocktail instead.
Amanda
I cannot think of a more festive drink. The sugar touch is great. Did you do the photography for this? It is amazing!
Leslie Haasch
I did – thank you for the kind words!
The Janitor
OMG your glasses are all dusty too! Are you Miss Havisham?
Linda
For the Janitor” who rudely remarked that your glasses were dusty, had she cleaned her glasses, I believe she would have noticed the reflection if your tablecloth in your glasses. Made a small portion to try before offering it to guests…quality control, lol…and it was lovely! I tossed in a sprig of rosemary, and they look so festive! Thank you!