Easy Cranberry Mimosa (Poinsettia Cocktail)

If you’re looking for a simple cocktail recipe for entertaining this holiday season, this easy cranberry mimosa recipe is a crowd pleaser! It’s a gorgeous cocktail when garnished with fresh rosemary and sugared cranberries. You’ll love it’s simplicity and your guests will love the flavor. Cheers!

A cranberry mimosa with a sprig of fresh rosemary being placed on top for garnish.

‘Tis the season to drink festive cocktails!

When it comes to cocktails, I like to keep it simple. I like drinks that have some make ahead components so that when it’s party time, all I have to do is pour a little of this, a smidge of that, garnish and BOOM! Done. Nothing complicated.

Why I love this recipe:

That’s why this easy cranberry cocktail is one of my all time favorites. It’s also known as a poinsettia cocktail, which makes it even more holiday friendly!

I’m almost embarrassed to tell you how easy these cranberry mimosas are. At it’s core, it’s really just two ingredients: cranberry juice and champagne or prosecco. Add in a sprig of fresh rosemary and my sugared cranberries as a garnish for some extra little oomph and now we’re in business!

You could certainly add in some of my rosemary simple syrup or maybe even some cointreau, which is an orange flavored liquer. It’s distilled from orange peels so GLUTEN-FREE BABY!

But really the beauty is in the simplicity of this easy cranberry mimosa. You’ll love how quick it is to put together, yet the flavor is on point and it looks impressive, too! It’s a gorgeous cocktail for the holidays.

Whether you’re serving it for a holiday brunch or for a night time cocktail party, you can’t go wrong by mixing a festive cranberry mimosa.

More cranberry recipes to make throughout the holiday season: Cranberry Goat Cheese Log | Cranberry Salsa | Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

three champagne flutes filled with cranberry juice and prosecco with sugared cranberries and fresh rosemary in a festive cranberry mimosa cocktail

What you need to make this recipe:

Cranberry juice — I used cranberry juice made of 100% juice. Not 100% cranberry juice, but 100% juice. Meaning, it’s sweetened but with other fruit juices, such as grape juice and apple juice. (You could also use cranberry juice cocktail, if you like a sweeter drink. Or you could add 100% cranberry juice, which is super tart and then drizzle in a liquid sweetener, like a simple syrup.)
Sparkling wine — you can use either champagne or prosecco to make mimosas. Any type of sparkling wine is essential for a delicious mimosa. The two main differences between champagne and prosecco is the location where they are produced and the type of grapes.

How to jazz up your cranberry mimosa:

Adding in a splash of rosemary simple syrup would be delicious and festive. I think this would work best if you’re using an unsweetened cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail so that your mimosa isn’t overly sweet.

You can also add a shot of vodka (if you’re gluten-free, try a potato vodka!) or a little bit of grand marnier or cointreau to the cranberry mimosa for a different flavor profile and an extra bit of booziness.

Glam up your glass by dipping the rim in lime juice and granulated sugar for a frosted rim look that tastes just as good as it looks.

If cranberry juice isn’t your thing, you can swap it out for some pomegranate juice. Or if you’re into apple, then try out this apple cider thyme mimosa for another festive cocktail idea!

If you are looking for non-alcoholic drinks, try one of these festive Christmas Mocktails!

A champagne flute filled with cranberry mimosa topped with fresh rosemary and sugared cranberries on a marble table

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of cranberry juice should I use for a cranberry mimosa?

I used cranberry juice made of 100% juice. Not 100% cranberry juice, but 100% juice.

You can also very easily use cranberry juice cocktail, which has cranberry, but it’s sweetened with sugar or corn syrup. Typically, cranberry juice cocktail has the same amount of sugar and sweetness as cranberry juice sweetened with fruit juices, so you can use that interchangeably in this recipe.

You could also use 100% cranberry juice. Which means 100% cranberry juice with nothing else added. Keep in mind, cranberries are SUPER tart, so the juice will also be tart. For this recipe, I would recommend adding in some simple syrup if you plan on using the tart 100% cranberry juice.

Should I use Champagne and Prosecco to make mimosas?

You can use either! But you need some bubbles in this drink to make it a mimosa.

The two main differences between champagne and prosecco is the location where they are produced and the type of grapes. Champagne is made in the Champagne region of France, whereas prosecco comes from Italy. They’re both sparkling wines and can be used in this easy cranberry mimosa. I tend to opt for prosecco as it’s typically a more affordable option. Cava, which is a Spanish sparkling wine, would also be great in this recipe.