This Cranberry Mimosa is one of the easiest cocktails you can make and it's a great addition to any holiday brunch, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas! You only need 3 ingredients and a couple of minutes to make these mimosas and they're easy to make for a large group.
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Why You'll Love This Mimosa
Easy and simple - This is one of the easiest cocktails you can make! All you need are just 3 ingredients. Orange juice, cranberry juice, and sparkling wine or Champagne. It comes together in just a few minutes and it's a great brunch cocktail to make for a big group.
Festive and delicious - Cranberry juice puts a festive spin on this classic cocktail and you can make it even more festive by adding sugared cranberries and rosemary! It's the perfect drink to make for any winter brunch, especially during Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Easy to prep ahead - If you're using freshly squeezed orange juice, you can easily prep it the night before so that you can whip these mimosas up at brunch in just a minute! There's no shaker, everything is mixed right in the flute glass you'll serve the drink in.
Ingredients
- Orange juice - Freshly squeezed orange juice will give the mimosa the best flavor.
- Cranberry juice - Make sure to use 100% pure cranberry juice without any added sugar.
- Prosecco or Champagne - This will depend on your flavor preference and budget as Champagne is usually more expensive. I usually use Prosecco and leave Champagne for special occasions when I want to drink it plain.
- Garnish - Plain or sugared cranberries, fresh rosemary, or orange slices. I like threading my sugar cranberries carefully on a cocktail pick to prevent them from sinking into the drink.
Variations and Substitutions
- Cranberry syrup - If you want to make the mimosa a little sweeter, you can use some Cranberry Simple Syrup instead of cranberry juice or you can use both.
- Non-alcoholic version - You can either replace the Prosecco or Champagne with a non-alcoholic sparkling wine or you can make this Cranberry Mocktail instead and serve it in flute glasses.
Step-by-Step Instructions
If you want to garnish your mimosas with sugared cranberries or sugared fresh rosemary, I highly recommend doing this ahead of time. You can store them for 1 day in an airtight container at room temperature.
Sugared cranberries
- Simmer ⅓ cup of sugar with ¼ cup of water for 5 minutes.
- Coat fresh washed and dried cranberries with the syrup and spread them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Let them dry for 10 minutes, sprinkle them with cane sugar, and toss to coat.
- Let the cranberries dry again for 30 minutes before using them to make sure the sugar is sticking to them. You can do the same thing with fresh rosemary.
Cranberry Mimosa
- Add orange juice, cranberry juice, and cranberry syrup (if using) to a flute glass.
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- Stir the mixture with a cocktail spoon to mix.
- Top it up with sparkling wine or champagne almost all the way up leaving a little bit of space for garnish.
- Garnish the drink with sugared cranberries, fresh rosemary, or orange slices, and enjoy!
Expert Tips!
- Make sure all ingredients are properly chilled - Since this cocktail is made without any ice, it's important to make sure all ingredients are stored in the fridge overnight. I like to juice my oranges ahead of time so the orange juice has time to cool.
- Sugared cranberries on a cocktail pick - I like to carefully thread the sugared cranberries on a cocktail pick and rest it on the glass so they don't all sink to the bottom or lose their sugar coating. If you're using plain fresh cranberries, you can just drop them into the glass.
Storing and Make Ahead Options
While the finished drink should be enjoyed right away, you can prep all the components ahead of time.
It's very important to keep your Champagne or sparkling wine (Prosecco) and cranberry juice in the fridge overnight to make sure it's properly chilled. I highly recommend using freshly squeezed orange juice which you can squeeze the night before to save time in the morning. Store the orange juice in an airtight jar in the fridge for 1-2 days.
If you're making sugared cranberries for garnish, you can make them up to 1-3 days ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Their shelf life depends on how fresh they are when you're making them but they should keep well for a couple of days when kept in a cool dry place.
FAQs
I like using any prosecco that's more on the drier side, nothing too sweet because the cranberry juice and orange juice are already sweet. Go with your preferred one. I like using rose prosecco for this drink if I have it on hand.
I recommend using non-alcoholic sparkling wine or plain sparkling water for a non-alcoholic mimosa. You can also use sugar free cranberry soda like LaCroix.
More Cocktails with Prosecco
Do you want to try some other mimosa variations besides this cranberry one? Check out any of the 3 below! I also added a spritz and a French 77 cocktail as they're both made with prosecco and are great for the winter. To see all the latest ones, head over to Cocktails.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Mimosa
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Cocktail
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Cranberry Mimosa is one of the easiest cocktails you can make and it's a great addition to any holiday brunch, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ oz freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 oz cranberry juice
- ¼-½ oz Cranberry Syrup (optional)
- 3 oz sparkling wine or champagne
- Garnish: sugared fresh cranberries, fresh rosemary, quartered orange slices (optional)
Instructions
- Add orange juice, cranberry juice, and cranberry syrup (if using) to a flute glass.
- Stir the mixture with a cocktail spoon to mix.
- Top it up with sparkling wine or champagne and garnish with fresh cranberries, rosemary, or orange slices, and enjoy!
Notes
The nutritional info is only an estimate and it's counted without cranberry syrup.
Make sure all ingredients are chilled - Because this cocktail doesn’t have any ice, it’s important to cool everything ahead of time. I like to squeeze the orange juice using a juicer ahead of time as well to cool it down and save time when making the cocktails, especially when serving this for a large group. You can place the glasses in the fridge for an hour as well or in the freezer for 10-20 minutes.
Sugared cranberries - To make sugared cranberries, simmer ⅓ cup of sugar with ¼ cup of water for 5 minutes. Toss fresh washed and dried cranberries in the syrup and spread on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them dry for 10 minutes, sprinkle them with cane sugar, and toss to coat. Let them dry for another 30 minutes before using them to make sure the sugar is sticking to them. You can do the same thing with fresh rosemary.
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Veronika Sykorova says
You'll love these mimosas for the holidays! If you don't have cranberry juice, you can even use cranberry sauce instead!