Cranberry French 75 Cocktail Recipe
The French 75 is already one of the most elegant cocktails you can serve, and adding cranberry liqueur turns it into a showstopper for the holidays. This version keeps everything that makes the classic so good – the bright citrus, the botanical gin, the celebratory bubbles – and layers in the rich, tart sweetness of cranberry liqueur. The result is a cocktail that looks and tastes like you spent serious time behind the bar, but comes together in about two minutes.
This is the drink to make when you want to impress without the fuss. The homemade cranberry liqueur really shines here since the sparkling wine amplifies its flavor without overwhelming it. If you’re serving these at a party, you can batch the gin, lemon juice, and cranberry liqueur ahead of time, then shake individual servings with ice and top with bubbly as guests arrive. Easy, elegant, and guaranteed to make people ask for the recipe.
Table of Contents
Ingredients in Cranberry French 75
Gin – A London dry style works best. If you’re not a gin fan, vodka makes a perfectly acceptable substitute, turning this into more of a cranberry sparkler.
Lemon juice – Freshly squeezed is essential here. The bright acidity is what makes this drink sing.
Cranberry liqueur – Homemade or store-bought, both work beautifully. Some brands include Boggs and Smirnoff.
Champagne or dry prosecco – Prosecco is the budget-friendly option and works just as well as champagne. Any dry sparkling wine will do. Skip the sweet varieties.
Lemon rind – for garnish
Homemade Cranberry Liqueur
Depending on how soon you need it, you can make your own cranberry liqueur. It’s super simple to make; you just need four weeks for the flavor to meld. Here’s the recipe we use for our Cranberry Liqueur. And not for nothing, bottles of it make great holiday gifts!
Other Holiday Cocktails
Looking for more festive drinks to round out your holiday menu? Try the Harvest Cranberry Sangria for a make-ahead option that serves a crowd and features the same cranberry liqueur, or shake up a Holiday Cosmo when you want something quick and elegant. The Spiced Pomegranate Cocktail offers a different fruit flavor that’s just as seasonal. The Spiced Cranberry Mule is perfect when you want something easy that doesn’t require shaking, and the Winter Sangria gives you another big-batch option for entertaining with a completely different flavor profile that doesn’t use cranberry. Each of these cocktails brings something different to the table.
Cranberry French 75
Ingredients
- 1 oz gin
- ½ oz lemon juice
- ½ oz cranberry liqueur See notes for link to Homemade Cranberry Liqueur
- Champagne or prosecco to top
- Garnish: lemon twist or cranberries
Instructions
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add 1 oz gin, ½ oz lemon juice, and ½ oz cranberry liqueur.
- Shake well until chilled.
- Strain into a champagne flute.
- Top with champagne or prosecco.
- Garnish with a lemon twist or fresh cranberries.
Notes
Nutrition
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