Cranberry Cosmopolitan Mocktail

I love making special drinks for the kids over the holidays and especially for New Year's Eve. When the adults are celebrating with wine or cocktails, it's nice to have a non-alcoholic drink option. This Cranberry Cosmopolitan Mocktail is perfect for kids or anyone looking for a holiday drink without alcohol.

But this cosmo mocktail is also very easily spiked for those who would prefer it with alcohol by simply adding vodka. You can exchange the orange extract for Triple Sec or Cointreau (orange liqueur) but you don't have to. Either way, it's a fun, festive, and delicious classic drink! This drink inspired my Cosmo Cranberry Aioli!

The Cosmopolitan aka Cosmo was all the rage in the 90's, really shooting to stardom with the popularity of the television show "Sex and the City." It totally popularized the Cranberry Cosmo, of which I am a HUGE fan!

Interestingly, the Cosmopolitan drink made a significant impact on how we approach drinking and cocktail culture in general. Much of the high-end cocktail culture we encounter today with drinks so complex only a mixologist can recreate them, can be attributed to the simplicity of the Cosmo era.

🥘 Ingredient Notes

These ingredients I use to make this drink taste so similar to a Cranberry Cosmopolitan that you won't even miss the alcohol!

• Cranberry juice (cranberry cocktail). Cranberry cocktail is the main ingredient. I use it because it's sweet enough to carry this drink. Pure cranberry juice would be too bitter and not nearly as pleasant tasting!
• Sparkling water. I use lemon-lime sparkling water because it's carbonated and gives that bit of bubbly. It also tastes much better than Club Soda or Tonic Water.
• Orange extract. The orange extract mimics the taste of Triple Sec orange liqueur.
• Lime juice from concentrate. Lime juice balances the sweetness of the cranberry cocktail. I use lime juice from concentrate because I always have it on hand and it's concentrated so I need less of it.
• Lime wheel (fresh lime slice). A slice of lime finishes garnishes this drink, making it look even fresher and more delicious. You could substitute an orange slice.
• Sparkling sugar and edible glitter. Sparkling sugar and edible glitter (affiliate links) mixed together are the ultimate festive way to rim a glass and give your mocktail visual appeal!
• Frozen cranberries make great ice cubes and give even more visual appeal to your nonalcoholic drink.

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Spike it: This mocktail is also very easily spiked for those in the group who would prefer it with alcohol by simply adding vodka. You can exchange the orange extract for Triple Sec or Cointreau but you don't have to. Either way, it's a fun, festive and delicious drink!
• Lime juice: you can use fresh lime juice instead of lime juice from concentrate, but you'll need to double the amount.
• Cranberries: you can use fresh cranberries and ice instead of frozen cranberries
• Sparkling water: you can substitute tonic water or club soda.

🔪 How to Make a Cosmopolitan Mocktail

It really is as simple as pouring a few things into a glass and mixing! You can use a cocktail shaker, but you don't have to. The fun part is sugaring the rim of the glass to make it look fancy (kids really love that and it's festive for the holidays)!

PREP: Wet the rim of the glass. You can do this by running a slice of lime along the rim, and dipping the glass in water or lime juice.

How to rim the glass:

1. Step 1: Pour some sparkling sugar and edible glitter onto a plate

2. Step 2: Place the glass upside down, on the plate and turn/spin the glass to coat it with sugar and glitter/

3. Step 3: Turn the glass upright.

4. Step 4: Then carefully add cranberry juice, sparkling water, lime juice, and orange extract to glass, dividing the ingredients between 2 drinks. (*you can use a measuring cup with a spout or a funnel if you don't feel confident in your pouring skills 🙂 ) Garnish: Add some frozen cranberries or ice cubes and half a slice of lime to garnish. Serve and enjoy!

How to Store A Cranberry Cosmo Mocktail

You can make this non alcoholic cosmopolitan in advance and store it in the fridge for up to a week.

You can also store it in the fridge for up to a week after making it. I store it in a sealed juice jug. (affiliate link) *Just be sure to check that the expiry dates on your ingredients coincide with your storage dates! Sugar the rim just prior to serving.

Freezing is not recommended.