Cranberry Gin Cocktail

Need a simple but delicious cocktail for the holidays? This cranberry gin cocktail made with gin, cranberry juice, lemon, and simple syrup is my new favorite!

two glasses of cranberry cocktail garnished with lemon, rosemary, and fresh cranberries.

If you are looking for a fun and festive drink for the holidays, you have come to the right place! At Christmas-time, I am usually craving a glass of hot spiced wine, but wanted to switch it up a bit with a cranberry cocktail. Cranberry and gin are a delicious pair so I hope you love this drink as much as I do.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

An easy and festive drink that is perfect for the holidays.
Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes to recreate this drink!
This recipe can easily be doubled/tripled to serve a crowd. See the recipe card at the end of the post for tips on making a big batch in a pitcher.

Ingredients You’ll Need

cranberry gin cocktail ingredients with labels.

Cranberry Juice: you’ll want to try and use pure cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail which has been sweetened. If you can only find cranberry cocktail – no worries! Just skip the simple syrup or taste and add a little if needed.
Gin: use your favorite brand of gin. If you don’t like gin, you could use vodka, whiskey, or rum instead.
Simple Syrup: since we are using pure cranberry juice, you’ll want to balance out the tart flavor of the juice with some simple syrup.
Lemon: brightens up the cocktail and helps balance out the tartness of the cranberries. You can use fresh lime juice or orange juice instead of lemon.

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

How to Make Simple Syrup

Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a container and allow to cool in the fridge before use. Simple syrup that has been stored in the fridge can last up to a month.

Step by Step

cranberry cocktail ingredients in metal cocktail shaker.

Step One: Add a few cubes of ice to a cocktail shaker and pour in your gin, cranberry juice, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake vigorously with the lid on to chill everything.

hand pouring cocktail from shaker into prepared glass.

Step Two: Add ice, lemon slices, and rosemary sprig to a cocktail glass. Pour in the cocktail.

hand pouring sparkling water into cocktail glass.

Step Three: Top with soda water or sparkling water like a lemon flavored LaCroix.

cranberry cocktail glasses garnished with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs.

Step Four: Serve immediately with a few fresh cranberries on top for more garnish.

Expert Tips

Fresh Lemon: Use fresh squeezed lemon rather than lemon juice for the best flavor. If you don’t have lemon, lime or orange can be substituted.
Make it a mocktail: use a non-alcoholic gin. I like the non-alcoholic “garden” spirit from Seedlip for cocktail recipes like this one.
Don’t have a cocktail shaker? You can mix this cocktail in a large glass, mason jar, or pitcher. The cocktail shaker helps chill the ingredients before serving.
Sparkling water: for the bubbles, you can add more flavor to this cocktail by using a citrus flavored sparkling water like lemon, lime, or grapefruit. I love using the lemon-flavored Lacroix for these cocktails. (Although, I didn’t have it the day I was shooting the photos sadly. Lol.)

close up of cranberry gin cocktail with ice, cranberries, lemon, and rosemary.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this drink for a crowd?

Yes! You can easily scale up this recipe to serve a party. For 8 servings, add 1 1/2 cups gin, 3 cups cranberry juice, juice from 4 lemons, 1/2 cup simple syrup to a pitcher. Top with 2 cups sparkling water and serve.

What kind of cranberry juice is best for cocktails?

For this recipe, we used pure cranberry juice but you can also use cranberry juice cocktail. Since the cranberry juice cocktail is usually sweetened, you many not need to use as much simple syrup. Just taste and adjust as needed.

What can I use instead of simple syrup?

If you don’t want to make a simple syrup, you could use maple syrup to sweeten this cocktail instead. However, it will give it just a hint of maple flavor but I think that goes well with cranberry!

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