This Christmas mocktail is a delicious blend of refreshingly sweet, citrusy and slightly bitter flavours. Perfect festive drink for non drinkers!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
I was commissioned by a client to come up with an easy alcohol free drink for her Christmas party this year, and as usual, you, my readers benefit from all the work I do in the non virtual world!
It’s a delicious little number, with all the right flavours and colours for the season.
Christmas Mocktail Recipe
As mentioned, it’s a very easy drink to make. This is how we do it:
- We make the cranberry syrup up to a week earlier and keep it in the fridge.
- To serve, just add tonic water and garnish with some mint leaves and optional cranberries.
Cranberry & Ginger Syrup
All you need is 4 ingredients:
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- fresh ginger
- white sugar
- water
The amount of sugar used here will result in a slightly sweet cranberry syrup. When combined with the bitter from the cranberries and tonic water, it makes a drink that is only just a touch sweet. Quite a departure from my usual!
Any extra cranberry syrup can be used up with ice cream or added to any dessert like panna cotta or your Christmas trifle.
Tonic Water in our Christmas Mocktail
You can use just about any tonic water you like here, some flavours will probably work better than others. A standard, non flavoured Indian Tonic water is the best way to start, and work your way up from there.
I just love the variety of tonic water that’s available to us these days by all sorts of brands. These are some of my favourite flavours:
- Double Dutch‘s Pomegranate and Basil
- Anything Elderflower
- Fentiman’s Valencian Orange
- Fentiman’s Pink Peppercorn
And when one’s favourite mixer brand, Double Dutch, does a Cranberry & Ginger Tonic, one has to try it with this recipe! It went quite well, as did the Valencian Orange flavoured one by Fentiman’s.
You can also use more or less tonic water than specified here; it’s all a matter of taste.
So there you have it, Christmas Cranberry and Ginger Tonic, a super easy Christmas mocktail. And because you can make the syrup up to a week ahead, make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for when visitors drop in.
And if you have drinkers, just make a cocktail by topping up with some prosecco!
Shall we get our aprons on?
More Christmas Recipes on LinsFood
For more Christmas recipes, just head on over to the Christmas page for drinks, sweet and savoury recipes, like the following:
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood.
Lin xx
Christmas Cranberry and Ginger Tonic (a Christmas Mocktail)
Ingredients
- 60 ml 2 fluid oz Cranberry Ginger Syrup (recipe below)
- 120 ml 4 fl oz tonic water to top up
- 3-4 ice cubes
Garnish
- 2 sprigs fresh mint leaves
- 3 fresh cranberries optional
Cranberry Syrup (makes about 250ml/1 cup)
- 300 g 10 1/2 oz cranberries
- 100 g 3 1/2 oz fresh ginger
- 200 g 1 cup white sugar
- 250 ml 1 cup water
Instructions
Make the Cranberry Syrup
- Scrub the ginger (no need to peel) and chop up in a food chopper or by hand. You can grate it, if you can be bothered.
- Place everything in a saucepan and bring to a simmer on high heat.
- Lower the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, squashing down the cranberries at the end.
- Leave to cool slightly, then strain for a clear, bright red syrup. Store in the fridge until needed. Don’t use the cranberry syrup for your drink while it’s still warm, as it’ll just give you a lukewarm drink.
Cranberry and Ginger Tonic
- Using a muddler or the back of a teaspoon, crush the cranberries and 2 mint leaves in your glass.
- Add the ice cubes.
- Pour in the cranberry syrup.
- Top with tonic water.
- Garnish with the rest of the mint leaves.
Perfect, thanks!
Simply smashing! We have gone teetotal, and I was a little concerned. But this, along with your alcohol free christmas pud is going to complete our christmas! Cheers!
Cheers Lin, looking forward to trying this during the holidays.
Looks amazing. I can’t wait to make it over the weekend.
Thank you, Azlin, exactly what I was looking for!