This Cranberry Orange Bourbon Fizz is the best cocktail to kick off the holidays – loaded with cozy holiday flavors like cranberry, orange – this has a fabulous flavor kick that will linger!
This recipe was originally posted in December 2020 – I’ve since updated the photos and tweaked the recipe. Enjoy!
Happy Wednesday, friends! I can’t believe we are just one day away from officially being in December. And after that just a few short weeks until Christmas. WHAAAT!
I *looooove* a good holiday cocktail. And while I have very much enjoyed sitting back and relaxing on a Friday night with my Spiced Vanilla Pear Dark and Stormy or even my Spiced Apple Cider Spritz…this drink is the absolute perfect way to kick off the Christmas season!
For some wild reason, this year, I decided to do my holiday shopping early so I’m almost done! Maybe I planned ahead this year so I could actually sit back, binge watch my favorite Christmas movies, eat festive treats and of course….sip on this delicious Cranberry Orange Bourbon Fizz!
Why You Need this Cocktail in Your Life:
First off – it’s so simple! I love super fun cocktails that require many different ingredients but also hi, I don’t really like to buy all of the ingredients! Ha – especially when those ingredients might be expensive bottles of liquor.
Good news? There is only one liquor in this drink: bourbon! My fave. I actually recently just bought Ben a nice bottle of Woodford Reserve for his birthday and man oh man, was he excited!
I also love how festive this cocktail is! You can see from the photos how bright and vibrant this beverage is – the bright red of the cranberry color and the pop of green from the rosemary makes me oh so happy.
The drink itself is not overly sweet, which is the way I love my cocktails! It’s tart, bright and it packs a punch of flavor.
The carbonation from the ginger ale makes the perfect fizzy topping and mmmm, it’s ready to go!
Let’s get into what you need to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
- Unsweetened cranberry juice – make sure you get unsweetened PURE cranberry juice, not cranberry juice cocktail.
- Bourbon – I used Woodford Reserve, but use whatever your favorite is!
- Orange juice – use fresh or store-bought. I like using pulp free to make sure that the drink isn’t cloudy/pulpy.
- Ginger ale/Club soda/Seltzer – your choice! It depends on my mood for this one – if I want something with more kick, I use ginger beer. If I want something more plain but still want the carbonation, I use plain seltzer!
- Fresh cranberries, orange slices or rosemary to garnish the drink – This is a must! It makes it so fancy and festive looking!
How to Make your Drink in Just a Few Simple Steps:
- Add ice to your favorite cocktail glass. Bonus points if it’s cute and festive!
- Add in your bourbon, followed by the cranberry juice and the orange juice. Finally, top it off with the seltzer for some fizzy goodness. Taste and adjust if needed – add more orange juice for sweetness, more bourbon for a kick etc.
- Drop in a few fresh cranberries, add in a sprig of rosemary and you’re all set for a delicious drink to cozy up with while watching your favorite Christmas movies!
Tips/Substitutions
For this recipe, I used store bought OJ for convenience BUT feel free to use freshly squeezed.
You *can* use cranberry juice cocktail if you prefer – just know if you use the cranberry juice cocktail, it will be sweeter!
Speaking of sweet, this drink is tart, so if you want it sweeter, you can always buy a store-bought container or simple syrup or make your own!
All you have to do is combine 1 cup of sugar with 2 cups of water, let it come to a boil on the stove and then turn it down to a simmer until the two combine together. Let it cool and store it in a mason jar in the fridge for alllll of your cocktail needs!
I hope you guys enjoy this drink as much as I have been lately. Cheers to the start of the holiday season!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few other cocktails you might like:
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Cranberry Orange Bourbon Fizz
This Cranberry Orange Bourbon Fizz is the best cocktail to kick off the holidays - loaded with cozy holiday flavors like cranberry, orange - this has a fabulous flavor kick that will linger!
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz bourbon (do 2 oz if you want an extra kick!)
- 2 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1 oz orange juice (fresh or store bought!)
- Splash of ginger beer/ale, club soda or plain seltzer to top (If you want it sweeter with a kick, use ginger beer!)
- Fresh cranberries/orange slices/rosemary to garnish
Instructions
-
To a cocktail glass, add ice. Next, add in the bourbon followed by the cranberry juice and orange juice. Top with a splash of seltzer or ginger beer for the "fizz"! Garnish with fresh cranberries, an orange slice or a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
If you like your drinks sweeter, you might want to add in some simple syrup, as this drink is very tart! You can also substitute cranberry juice cocktail for the unsweetened cranberry juice.
What a great cocktail! Cranberry and orange is the best flavor together this time of year. This is my kind of fizz!
Thank you so much, Katherine!!
Can’t wait to try this out over the holidays!
Cheers!