This Christmas Cranberry Gin Cocktail is simple to make but is festive and perfect for the holiday season! This Christmas Gin drink is a spin on the classic Gin and Tonic with the addition of cranberry.

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Why I Love It:
- Spin on the Classic Gin and Tonic - I love a regular G&T so adding a festive flair with cranberry just makes it even better!
- Easy to Make - You only need a few, easy to find, ingredients.
- Cranberry Flavor - Adding cranberry juice adds flavor and I love to garnish with cranberries as well.
Ingredients and Equipment
- Gin - You can use your favorite! I used Tanqueray Gin, but you can use any.
- Tonic Water
- Lime Juice - Freshly squeezed, please!
- Cranberry Juice - You can use either cranberry juice or cranberry juice concentrate. Whatever floats your boat.
- Optional Garnishes - Fresh Cranberries, Sugared Cranberries, Lime Wedges
- Tumblers or Old Fashioned Glasses - For serving
- A bar spoon (or regular spoon) - to stir drink and combine
- A cocktail jigger or shot glass - For measuring the ingredients
- Cocktail Picks (optional) - You can use these for the cranberries or sugared cranberries instead of adding directly to the drink
Step by Step Instructions
This Cranberry Gin Cocktail is so easy to make. Just shake (or stir) and serve!
- Mix Ingredients - In a cocktail shaker or glass, stir together the ingredients.
- Adjust to Taste - It's easy to adjust the drink to suit your preference. You can make it stronger by adding more gin, less strong by adding more tonic, or more lime/cranberry juice to give it more fruit flavor.
- Serve - Pour over ice in a glass, garnish with a lime wedges and cranberries, and enjoy!
Substitutions and Variations
- Soda Water - If you're not a fan of tonic water, you can replace it with soda water and your cocktail will be just as delicious!
- Vodka - If you don't like Gin, you can also make this cocktail using Vodka
- Batch Cocktail - If you're serving a crowd, you can make a big pitcher of this instead of making individual servings.
- To serve 8: Mix together 1.5 cups of Gin, 2 cups of Cranberry Juice, the juice of 4 limes, and either 2 cups of Tonic Water or you can have guests add a splash of tonic water to their glass when serving.
Recipe Tips
- Cranberry Juice - I prefer to use Cranberry Juice Cocktail for the slight added sweetness. You can use plain, unsweetened cranberry juice if you like tart.
- Fresh Limes - I highly recommend getting fresh limes for the juice and then you can garnish with wedges as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use cranberry juice cocktail so it adds a little sweetness, but you can use regular unsweetened cranberry juice if you like your drink to be more tart.
You can use any kind of gin in the cocktail, I used Tanqueray. Be aware that if you use a colored gin (like Empress Gin) that the drink color will change.
Serving Ideas
- Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board - Use a variety of cheese, meat, and fruit and arrange in the shape of a Christmas tree.
- Puff Pastry Brie Bites - an easy appetizer that use only 4 ingredients
- Whipped Ricotta Dip with Honey - It is super easy to make and is ready in only 5 minutes. It’s great served with bread slices, veggies, or crackers for dipping.
Other Cranberry Recipes
- Cranberry Jalapeño Dip - A beautiful layered, festive, and flavorful dip! Pulse together cranberries, jalapeños, green onions, and sugar before layering over whipped cream cheese.
- Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce - Free up a stovetop burner and let your Instant Pot do the work. Cranberry sauce can be made in advance to save time the day of.
- Cranberry Moscow Mule - Another fun spin on a classic cocktail, it’s so easy to make with ginger beer, vodka, lime juice, and cranberry juice.
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PrintRecipe
Christmas Cranberry Gin Cocktail
This Christmas Cranberry Gin Cocktail is simple to make but is festive and perfect for the holiday season! This Christmas Gin drink is a spin on the classic Gin and Tonic with the addition of cranberry.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink
- Category: Drink
- Method: Drink
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1.5 ounces gin
- 2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 ounces tonic water
- Lime Wedges and Cranberries (or sugared cranberries), for garnish
Instructions
- Mix Ingredients - In a cocktail shaker or glass, stir together the drink ingredients.
- Adjust to Taste - It's easy to adjust the drink to suit your preference. You can make it stronger by adding more gin, less strong by adding more tonic, or more lime/cranberry juice to give it more flavor.
- Serve - Pour over ice in a glass, garnish with a lime wedges and cranberries, and enjoy!
Notes
Batch Cocktail - If you're serving a crowd, you can make a big pitcher of this instead of making individual servings.
- To serve 8: Mix together 1.5 cups of Gin, 2 cups of Cranberry Juice, the juice of 4 limes, and either 2 cups of Tonic Water or you can have guests add a splash of tonic water to their glass when serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 154
- Sugar: 12.1 g
- Sodium: 8.8 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.5 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Cranberry Gin Cocktail, Christmas Gin Cocktail, Cranberry Gin and Tonic
Katie says
Love the spin on the classic G&T!
★★★★★