A Poinsettia drink is a cranberry champagne cocktail that’s vibrant and refreshing. Great for entertaining, it’s a perfect winter or holiday drink!
Ready for the most vibrant, stunning cocktail for cool weather entertaining? Enter the Poinsettia, a cranberry champagne cocktail! Its brilliant color and cozy vibe makes it the perfect fall cocktail or winter drink. It makes any occasion more fun, from Thanksgiving to holiday parties to Christmas to New Year’s Eve. Of course, you can serve it any time of the year too! It uses only a few simple ingredients. Let’s get started!
Want more ideas? Go to Easy Champagne Cocktails, including French 75, The Classic, Chambord & Champagne, Black Velvet, St Germain Cocktail, and more.
What’s in a Poinsettia drink?
The Poinsettia drink is festive, perfect for entertaining, and even better: uses only a few ingredients. It’s a cranberry champagne cocktail: so you can call it that if you prefer. Here’s what’s in this cranberry champagne cocktail:
- Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
- Cranberry juice
- Champagne
That’s it! Of course, the garnish is what takes it over the top. All you’ll need is a few rosemary branches and some fresh whole cranberries. You can use the leftovers for holiday decorations like a table centerpiece. Or, try them in our moist and citrusy Cranberry Orange Bread!
Make sure to find 100% cranberry juice!
The most important thing to note with the Poinsettia drink is this: make sure to find 100% cranberry juice! There are lots of variations of cranberry juice on the shelf, and many of them have added sugar. If you find bottles labeled cranberry juice cocktail: stay away! It has added sugars or high-fructose corn syrup for extra sweetness.
Alex accidentally bought the sweet stuff when making this cranberry champagne cocktail recipe. Sadly, it turned out tasted overly sweet and “fake” tasting. When we looked at the bottle: it wasn’t 100% juice! I dashed off to the store and we remade it with 100% cranberry juice. It tasted perfectly crisp and tart: exactly what we wanted! All that to say: make sure to check the label and find 100% cranberry juice for this Poinsettia!
Can you make a non-alcoholic Poinsettia drink?
You absolutely can make this Poinsettia drink without alcohol! All you have to do is substitute non-alcoholic sparkling cider, grape juice, or wine for the champagne and orange juice for the Cointreau. These days there are some great non-alcoholic sparkling wine options on the market. Check your local grocery to see what is available!
Making mocktails or 0 proof cocktails is perfect for including people who don’t drink alcohol, pregnant women, or kids. Our son Larson always wants to drink what we’re drinking…so you could make up some kiddie cranberry champagne cocktails for the young ones!
Do I need a cocktail shaker?
Cocktail shakers are inexpensive and if you make cocktails often, worth buying for ease of use. A cocktail shaker quickly chills cocktails by shaking them against ice. It has a perforated lid so you can easily strain out the cocktail. Here’s the cocktail shaker we use: 24-Ounce Cocktail Shaker | Amazon
What’s a substitute for a cocktail shaker? If you want to make this Poinsettia drink without one, use a glass mason jar! Place the cocktail in the jar and fill it with ice. Then screw on the top and shake! When you pour out the cocktail, use a mesh strainer to keep the ice inside the mason jar.
Cocktails to make with cranberry juice
If you have leftover cranberry juice, there are lots of great cranberry cocktail recipes to make with it! Here are a few ideas:
- Cosmopolitan Cocktail The ever popular “Cosmo” pairs cranberry juice with Cointreau and lime.
- Vodka Cranberry Cocktail One of the easiest cocktails there is: vodka and cranberry juice on the rocks with lime.
- Rum & Cranberry Paired with Cointreau and lime, it’s almost like a rum spin on a Cosmo!
- Cranberry Mimosa A bubbly tart version of the popular brunch drink.
- Vodka Spritzer Combine vodka with cranberry, strawberries and soda water: instant party!
- Madras Cocktail The Madras features vodka, cranberry and orange juice for tart and tangy drink.
- Sea Breeze or Bay Breeze The Breezes are classic and refreshing cocktails, fit for sipping al fresco, a laid back happy hour or as a brunch drink. Sea Breeze features grapefruit juice, and Bay Breeze the tropical flavor of pineapple.
When to serve this Poinsettia drink (cranberry champagne cocktail)
The Poinsettia is perfect for winter and fall when cranberries are in season. With its vibrant color, it’s fantastic for the holidays. This cranberry champagne cocktail works well as a:
- Thanksgiving drink
- Holiday party drink
- Christmas drink
- New Year’s Eve drink
Poinsettia Drink (Cranberry Champagne Cocktail)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Description
A Poinsettia drink is a cranberry champagne cocktail that’s vibrant and refreshing. Great for entertaining, it’s a perfect winter or holiday drink!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau, or other orange liqueur
- 4 tablespoons 100% cranberry juice (unsweetened)
- 1/2 glass champagne (6 tablespoons)*
- For the garnish: 1 rosemary sprig, whole cranberries
Instructions
- Place the cointreau and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds until cold. Strain the liquid into a champagne flute. (You can skip this step if the cranberry juice is well chilled.)
- Top off the glass with champagne (no need to measure). Garnish and serve. (Note: You can also make a large batch of cointreau and cranberry juice ahead if desired, then measure out 6 tablespoons per glass.)
Notes
*You’ll get about 8 to 10 drinks per 1 bottle of champagne. Make it non-alcoholic by using non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Cocktail
- Cuisine: Cocktails
Keywords: Poinsettia Drink, Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
If making these non-alcoholic, what do you replace the cointreau with? Thanks!
Great point! Orange juice will work as a substitute for Cointreau. I’ve updated the post!
What’s a good price point champagne that makes these taste best?
We usually go in the $15-20 route or a little cheaper for prosecco.
Can I use Gran Marnier instead?
Yes
It was a big hit for my Christmas ladies get together! We had plenty of wine but they all enjoyed the Poinsettias instead. I followed the recipe as listed. I did have to eventually substitute Proseco as we ran out of champagne. We had a great time!
Merry Christmas!
Grace
★★★★★
Great cocktail for the holidays.
Poured cranberry juice & Cointreau to serve 10 into a cocktail
shaker. Then stored in freezer until liquid is very cold.
Easy to prepare for guests. Very festive 🎄
★★★★★
This is a perfect cocktail for the holidays. I mix the cranberry juice & Cointreau together. Place it in a cocktail shaker & store in the freezer until very cold. Top with champagne & add garnish..I use raspberries instead of cranberries. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
★★★★★