Whether you are alcohol-free, pregnant, or just wanting a refreshing holiday beverage, this one is not only tasty, but also beautiful making it feel decadent with easy ingredients!

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Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 5-6 minutes

Makes 2 mocktails

• 1 cup 100% cranberry juice
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla syrup
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cups sparkling water
• Ice cubes

Garnish (optional):

• Fresh cranberries
• Lime slices
• Mint leaves

• In a cocktail shaker or large glass, combine cranberry juice, vanilla, and lime juice. Stir or shake well to combine.
• Add ice to two glasses.
• Pour cranberry mixture over the ice, leaving a bit of room at the top.
• Top with sparkling water to add the fizz. Stir lightly to combine.
• Optional: Add garnish like fresh cranberries, lime slice, and mint leaves for a festive look.
• Serve immediately.

• For a less tart flavor, add less cranberry juice or more vanilla syrup to your taste preferences.
• You could also use a lime wedge around the rim of the glasses and stick each glass in sugar or powdered sugar to sweeten it up and add to the look of the glass.
• For a slightly different flavor palette, sub out the lime juice for fresh orange juice and an orange wedge as a garnish.
• If you do want to add alcohol for a kick, you won’t ruin anything by adding your choice of booze such as chilled vodka, gin, or even whiskey.

When I decided to largely remove alcohol from my life, with the exception of a very occasional toast or celebratory cheers, I started looking for festive and fun ways to replace the traditional alcoholic cocktails I enjoyed having that also weren’t loaded with sugar or wildly complicated to make.

And, let’s be honest, having a beverage in a pretty cup is half the fun of drinking it! It’s why champagne is so iconic with the tall fluted glass and the bubbles, or why an old fashioned feels so decadent with the low ball glass, fancy ice, and orange and cherry garnishes, or sipping a martini makes us want to wear a tux or a silk dress with a low cut back.

And while the glass is important, so is the presentation. What’s in the glass has to look pretty too, and this one hits the mark head on being red and festive for the holidays, along with the bubbles to make it fun and whimsical, and your choice of garnish to fancy it up.

It also tastes good. Refreshing without being too much.

If I haven’t convinced you by now to give it a try, then I’m not sure why you’re still reading 😉

Happy holidays and until next time,