Sip into the season with a Cranberry Champagne Cocktail starring a quick-fix homemade cranberry simple syrup. It’s bubbly, citrusy, and perfect for any occasion – whether you’re hosting a brunch or getting together with family and friends during the holidays.
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I love a bubbly cocktail, and this recipe for a cranberry champagne cocktail tastes refreshing, looks festive and is easy to whip up. Win, win and win!
What is a champagne cocktail? It’s a type of mixed drink that incorporates champagne or sparkling wine as a primary ingredient. It’s also usually still served in a champagne flute. In this holiday cocktail, you first make cranberry syrup, then add two tablespoons to a flute and finish it off with a healthy amount of bubbly.
I highly recommend topping this festive cocktail with sugared cranberries. And if you’re looking for another seasonal sip, check out my go-to Christmas margarita (it’s served in an ornament!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s made with just 5 ingredients.
- It’s festive. Serve it alongside your Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas celebration or New Year’s party.
- Serves eight.
- The cranberry simple syrup can be made up to a week in advance.
- Get creative with garnishes! Try fresh or candied cranberries, a twist of orange or lime peel, or even a sprig of fresh herbs like rosemary or mint.
- Cranberries: You’ll want to grab one bag of fresh cranberries for this recipe.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar (not brown sugar!) to let the flavors of the cranberry and champagne shine.
- Grand Marnier: This liqueur is a type of cognac with an orange-forward flavor.
- Orange: A standard, naval orange will work fine here!
- Dry champagne or sparkling wine: For champagne cocktails where you’ll be adding other flavors/ingredients, I recommend going with cheap champagne. Just be sure to chill it ahead of time.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Swap out the Grand Marnier. You could use any orange liqueur instead, like Cointreau or even Triple Sec.
- Try another citrus. Instead of orange, you could use grapefruit, lime or blood orange.
- Make the cranberry syrup. In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and zest, Grand Marnier and 1 cup of water. Simmer until the cranberries burst and soften. Then, let cool for 10 minutes.
- Strain and chill the syrup. Pour the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Chill the syrup for at least 2 hours.
- Make the cocktails. For each cocktail, place 2 tablespoons of cranberry syrup in a champagne flute and top with chilled champagne.
- Chill the Champagne: As soon as you bring your champagne home, put it in the fridge. Champagne cocktails are best cold, but ice would dilute the flavor too much. Hence, make sure the champagne bottle is properly chilled!
- Make the Syrup Ahead: You can make the cranberry simple syrup up to 5 days ahead and store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Just be sure to thaw them before using them in the simple syrup.
The cranberry simple syrup is ready when the cranberries burst, and the sugar has dissolved, resulting in a syrupy consistency. This usually takes about 10-15 minutes of simmering.
Use a zester or a fine grater to remove only the outer, colored part of the orange peel, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.
Opt for a dry champagne or sparkling wine to balance the sweetness of the cranberry mixture. Brut or Extra Brut are good choices.
Absolutely! You can substitute non-alcoholic sparkling cider or soda for the champagne. Adjust the other ingredients accordingly.
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Ingredients
- 1 (12-oz.) bag cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
- 1 medium orange, zested and juiced
- 1 (750-ml.) bottle dry champagne or sparkling wine
Instructions
Chill Champagne and make cranberry syrup:
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and zest, Grand Marnier and 1 cup water.
- Bring the mixture to simmer and cook it until the cranberries burst and soften, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
- Place a sieve over a bowl then pour the mixture through the sieve. Discard the solids then cover and refrigerate the syrup for a minimum of 2 hours and up to overnight.
- When ready to serve, add 2 tablespoons cranberry syrup to a Champagne flute and top it with chilled champagne. Serve immediately.
Kelly’s Notes
- As soon as you bring your champagne home, put it in the fridge. Champagne cocktails are best cold, but ice would dilute the flavor too much. Hence, make sure the champagne bottle is properly chilled!
- You can make the cranberry syrup up to 5 days ahead and store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This recipe sounds absolutely delicious. But why discard the solids? I think that would make a lovely preserve on top of cream cheese and bagels or any type of scones or muffins or as a topping over ice cream. Considering that’s a whole bag of cranberries, it would be a shame to waste.
You could definitely use it as a preserve! Great idea!
This cocktail is both tasty and refreshing. Loved it!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Mary!