Spiced Cranberry Orange Spritz mocktail recipe
Tart cranberry, orange peel and warm spice in a bright, dry sparkling serve.
Method: Build · Glass: Stemmed wine glass · Time: 5 minutes · Difficulty: Beginner
Ingredients
- 2 oz unsweetened cranberry juice
- ½ oz spiced orange syrup
- ¼ oz fresh lime juice
- 3 oz chilled club soda
- to fill large ice cubes
How to make it
- Fill a chilled stemmed wine glass with large ice cubes.
- Add cranberry juice, spiced orange syrup and lime juice, then stir once to combine.
- Top slowly with cold club soda by pouring it down the inside of the glass.
- Add the orange wheel, cranberries and star anise pod without stirring again.
- Serve without further stirring so the bubbles stay lively.
Garnish
A thin orange wheel, three cranberries and one star anise pod
Why this balance works
Unsweetened cranberry juice has a drying edge, which is exactly what keeps this drink from becoming a sweet red fizz. The orange syrup softens that edge and adds warmth, while a small amount of lime keeps the middle of the drink awake. Use cold soda and large ice. Carbonation is part of the texture here, not a decorative top-up after the real drink has been made.
Technique to keep
Cranberry rewards a gentle hand with the bubbles. Mix the still ingredients first, then add soda slowly and do not churn the drink afterward. Pouring against the inner wall of the glass preserves more carbonation than dropping it straight onto the ice. Expressing the orange peel over the finished surface makes the first aroma orange before the cranberry arrives on the palate.
Related mocktails