Cranberry Mojitos Holiday co*cktail Recipe | We are not Martha (2024)

If you think mojitos are a summer-only co*cktail, let these Cranberry Mojitos change your mind! This perfect holiday co*cktail is made with homemade cranberry simple syrup, lime, rum, and plenty of mint!

It's officially the holiday season!!! Thanksgiving has been celebrated and I finally allowed myself to listen to Michael Bublé and light my peppermint and winter wonderland candles, while Chris and I assembled our Christmas tree.

We also did quite a bit of Black Friday shopping online. Er, one for you and one for me was my basic philosophy. Oops? Maybe that's what happens when you're sipping on a cranberry mojito while you shop.

One of my favorite things about the holidays is holiday co*cktails. So, I'm pretty excited for the first official co*cktail Friday of the holiday season! Oh, happy day!

I started with one of my favorite seasonal ingredients, cranberries, and transformed them into one of the best drinks, a mojito.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Mojitos are typically a summer drink, but mint is also pretty awesome in the winter and I knew the addition of cranberry flavor would work well.

These co*cktails are fairly simple and don't require too many ingredients. And the ingredients are REAL. Instead of using store-bought cranberry juice, this only has fresh cranberries in it.

If you double or triple the recipe for the cranberry simple syrup, you can very easily make these mojitos all holiday season long.

Plus… the colors! These are such festive drinks, perfect for the holidays.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this co*cktail are pretty simple. Aside from the mint, I generally have all of these items in my kitchen during the holiday season and you might, too.

Here's what you need:

• Fresh cranberries
• Granulated sugar
• Water
• Mint leaves
• Lime juice
• Ice
• Rum (light)
• Soda water

How to Make Cranberry Simple Syrup

This cranberry mojito is more delicious than the standard cranberry co*cktail because it is made with fresh cranberries!

I didn't want to use fake cranberry juice in my Christmas co*cktail and really wanted to incorporate the real deal in. So, I made a simple cranberry simple syrup. Really, it's so easy! Which is probably why it's called a "simple" syrup in the first place.

To start, put cranberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, until the berries are just starting to burst.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer placed over a bowl.

Press with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid from the cranberries as possible.

Keep syrup in bowl or pour into jar and place in fridge to cool completely before using.

How to Make Cranberry Mojitos

Now that your cranberry syrup is made, the rest of the co*cktails are super easy to put together. They're basic mojitos with the addition of a yummy flavored syrup.

Place about 10 mint leaves and 1 Tbsp of lime juice in each glass. With the back of a wooden spoon or a muddler, mash the mint up as much as you can.

Put ice in each glass and pour 2 oz. of the cranberry syrup and 2 oz. rum into each glass.

Stir it up and top each glass off with soda water. Sprinkle some fresh cranberries in for garnish.

I like adding a lime wedge, too.

These cranberry mojitosare so perfectly refreshing and flavorful. I love the sweetness of the cranberry syrup combined with the freshness of the mint.

Plus, these colors are the absolute best for the holiday season. It's the perfect holiday party drink and can also be served as a Thanksgiving mojito.

Can I Make This Drink Less Sweet?

Of course! Traditional mojitos have a bit less simple syrup in them than these ones do, but I wanted to really let the cranberry shine, so I added quite a bit.

If you prefer a drink that's less sweet, cut the simple syrup amount in half. You can always mix in more if you want it.

Can I Make a Big Batch of This?

If you're serving these cranberry mojitos at a holiday party, you may want to make a big batch of it, so you're not standing at the bar mixing co*cktails all night.

You can make a big batch of this in a pitcher ahead of time. Simply add the soda water right before you're ready to serve. Here's the ratios I would use for a pitcher of co*cktails that serves 8-10:

• ½ cup lime juice
• 80 fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups rum
• 2 cups simple syrup (double the recipe)
• 1 ½-2 cups soda water

Put lime juice and mint leaves on the bottom of a pitcher and muddle together as much as possible. Stir in rum and cranberry syrup. Right before serving mix in soda water.

Allow guests to fill their glass with ice and pour the cranberry mojito into their glass. You can also leave a bowl with cranberries and lime wedges for garnish.

And now the countdown to Christmas is on! In the meantime, I'll be overindulging on all things Christmas movies, decorations, foods (and drinks!!), candles, music, etc. etc.

Oh, and maybe some shopping, too. Just a little bit. Promise. But pour me another cranberry mojito while you're at it...

More Christmas co*cktails

Instead of just the 12 days of Christmas, make it the 12 days of Christmas co*cktails! Here are some more fabulous holiday drinks that will help you get into the spirit(s) of the season!

• Cranberry Jalapeño Margarita
• Cinnamon Pear Sangria
• Tropical Cranberry Sangria
• Cranberry Pomegranate Sparkler
• Pumpkin Pie Martini
• Hot Spiced Cranberry co*cktail
• Pomegranate Rosemary Gin Sparkler
• Spiked Butterscotch Eggnog (from Honest Grub Honest Foodie)
• Mulled Wine (from Culinary Hill)

I love drinking my cranberry mojitos, but I also enjoy eating them! I created this Mojito Cranberry Sauce for you to serve as a Thanksgiving dinner side and it's also super fun.

Do you have a favorite drink for the holiday season?

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