Cranberry Lime Mocktail with Easy Rosemary Simple Syrup
Celebrate the holiday season with this cranberry lime mocktail. Perfect for adults and children, this fancy drink is made with homemade rosemary simple syrup, unsweetened cranberry juice and soda water.
Homemade simple syrup turns a good mocktail into a great one. All you need is water, sugar, fresh rosemary and about 30 minutes for the syrup to infuse into a fragrant and sweet addition to your mocktail. Whip this up and keep it on hand for mocktails all season long.
With its vibrant colors and just 60 calories per serving, this fun drink will get the party started. Try white sparkling sangria mocktail or orange coffee mocktail at your next special occasion.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Made with simple everyday ingredients.
- Perfect for your holiday gatherings.
- Turn this into a cranberry cocktail by adding your preferred liquor.
Ingredients and Substituions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this cranberry mocktail recipe. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Sugar: for your homemade rosemary simple syrup.
- Fresh Rosemary: fresh rosemary is recommended because it’s lighter in flavor. Dried rosemary can be substituted, but keep in mind fried rosemary has a deeper and spicier flavor so you’ll want to use less. Instead of a the full sprig of fresh, use about 1/3 of that dried.
- Lime Juice: freshly squeezed, of course. Fresh lime juice will have the best tart flavor to balance the sweetness. You can also use fresh lemon juice.
- Unsweetened Cranberry Juice: not only will this give your drink a vibrant red color, the cranberry juice is the balance of flavor with the rosemary syrup and lime. Using unsweetened means we get the real deal on cranberry flavor, without adding tons of calories. Be sure to check the label.
- Lemon or Lime Sparkling Water: we need soda water for the fizzle and bubbles. Either flavor works or an unflavored club soda.
Variations
- Add a splash of orange juice or try fizzy orange mocktail.
- Add your favorite fruit juice to make this sweeter.
- To turn this holiday drink from mocktail to cocktail, add in your favorite alcohol.
Dietary Modifications
- This is Gluten-free and dairy-free as written.
How to make this sparkling cranberry mocktail (a step-by-step visual guide):
Step 1: make homemade rosemary simple syrup
Add water, granulated sugar, and rosemary to a small pot or saucepan (image 1). Set it over medium heat. Stir frequently to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Once the syrup just begins to simmer, remove it from the heat. Set it aside for 30 minutes to cool and allow the rosemary to further infuse its flavor. After 30 minutes, strain out the rosemary and bottle the syrup.
Step 2: make your mocktail
Add 1 ½ teaspoons of the rosemary simple syrup to a rocks glass, copper mug or short tumbler along with the lime juice and the cranberry juice (image 2). Stir to combine. Fill the glass ½ to ¾ full of ice (image 3). Top the drink with ¼ to ½ cup lime-flavored sparkling water (image 4). Garnish with a rosemary sprig, a lime slice, and fresh cranberries (image 5).
Expert Tip!
The syrup makes enough for 12 mocktails. Store in the fridge for us to 2 weeks and use for later.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but it will increase the calories per serving due to the higher sugar content. It will also make the mocktail taste sweeter.
Yes, you can multiply the recipe by how many servings you’d like to make. Keep in mind that the simple syrup in the recipe as written will yield 12 servings. So, if you are making 12 servings or less you do not need to increase the amount of water, granulated cane sugar, or rosemary.
Each serving of this mocktail is between 50-60 calories depending on the brand of cranberry juice used.
The rosemary simple syrup will last for up to two weeks if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover syrup can be used to sweeten coffee or tea.
Check out our other easy recipes!
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Cranberry Lime Mocktail
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Ingredients
Rosemary Syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Cranberry Mocktail
- 1 ½ tsp. rosemary syrup
- 1 Tbsp. freshly squeeze lime juice
- 1/3 cup pure unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1/4-1/2 cup lime or lemon flavored sparkling water or seltzer
- ice, as needed
Optional
- rosemary
- lime slices
- fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Make a rosemary simple syrup by adding the water, granulated sugar, and rosemary to a small pot or saucepan. Set it over medium heat. Stir frequently to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Once the syrup just begins to simmer, remove it from the heat. Set it aside for 30 minutes to cool and allow the rosemary to further infuse its flavor. After 30 minutes, strain out the rosemary and bottle the syrup. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Add 1 ½ teaspoons of the rosemary simple syrup to a rocks glass or short tumbler along with the lime juice and the cranberry juice. Stir to combine.
- Fill the glass ½ to ¾ full of ice.
- Top the drink with ¼ to ½ cup lime flavored sparkling water.
- If you prefer, you can garnish the mocktail with a rosemary sprig, a lime slice, and fresh cranberries before enjoying.
Notes
- The recipe yields 6 tablespoons of simple syrup which is enough for 12 drinks. If you’d like to multiply the recipe, keep that in mind.
- A pure unsweetened cranberry juice will have the least amount of calories per serving. Make sure to check the label.
- You’ll need 1-2 limes to yield enough juice for the recipe.
