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 holiday, fall or winter drink. It makes any fall or winter 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 champagne cocktails? Here’s our favorite.

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 cranberries. You can use the leftovers for holiday decorations like a table centerpiece. Or, we’re working on a cranberry bread recipe for using up the fresh cranberries…

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. 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.

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

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