jingle bell cranberry paloma.

Welcoming the holiday season with this festive Jingle Bell Cranberry Paloma. Silver tequila mixed with leftover cranberry sauce, lime juice, a squeeze of grapefruit juice, and topped off with ginger beer…for a touch of sweetness, spice, and a little bit of bubbly too! It’s the quickest cocktail to mix up, but one that everyone always loves. Perfect for a cold winter night by the fire, or make this by the pitcher for your holiday party. Bonus this will use up any of that leftover cranberry sauce sitting in the fridge!

It’s the last day of November, but the first day of HBH “Christmas Drink Saturday”. It’s crazy that I’ve been sharing these holiday cocktails for four years now. Do you guys remember the first Christmas drink I shared?

It was my North Pole Cocktail and to this day it remains my personal favorite drink I’ve ever shared with you guys. It also happens to be in the top twenty most popular recipes of all time. I can’t really figure out just why it’s so incredibly popular, but it was the cocktail that started my love for mixing up fun drinks for my family over the holidays.

I say this all the time, but these holiday recipes are my favorites to create. I have a lot of fun making them extra special…but still keeping them simple. Because the truth is, I’m not a mixologist. I just make what my family loves and what I enjoy creating!
Anyway, just a little fun back story on “Christmas Drink Saturday” for you. I’m excited to kick off the series today with this festive Paloma. As always with these Cocktail Saturday posts, I’ll still be keeping them short and sweet, so…

here are the details…
In a few words, this cocktail is sweet, spicy, and everything nice…

So cheesy, but kind of true. The base of the drink is made using cranberry sauce. I figured after Thursday’s turkey dinner that many would likely have leftover cranberry sauce sitting in the fridge today. Do you? Personally, I always have so many leftovers anytime I make a fresh batch and this year I’m using up the leftovers with this cocktail. If you don’t have any cranberry sauce on hand, not a problem, you can also easily use cranberry jam.

The cranberry sauce is then mixed with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, grapefruit juice, and silver tequila. I do this all in the bottom of a cocktail glass, then just stir to combine. To finish, top each drink off with ginger beer, my go-to cocktail mixer.

A little holiday tip…

During the holiday season always keep the essentials for a few good cocktails on hand. For me, I keep bourbon, vodka, and tequila stocked this time of year. These are my family’s alcohols of choice.

Then I always have pomegranate juice, limes, and ginger beer in the fridge, as these are my go-to mixers. You never know when you’ll need to mix up a quick drink…it’s always a good idea to be prepared!

make the cocktail extra pretty…
For a sweet and festive touch, I love finishing with sugared cranberries. Completely optional, but they add a nice “sparkle” to each drink. I make mine using maple syrup instead of just sugar. The maple syrup provides a delicious flavor and makes these festive cranberries super easy to make.

The best part about this drink? It takes only minutes to make but always turns out looking so impressive and extra pretty with its dark red color. I’m already planning to make the pitcher version over Christmas break this year. My family didn’t get any Thanksgiving cocktails since we spent it apart. To make up for that I’ll be serving these Palomas over Christmas. This drink has definitely made my “must make again” list.

It’s delicious.

jingle bell cranberry paloma.
Silver tequila mixed with leftover cranberry sauce, lime juice, a squeeze of grapefruit juice, and topped off with ginger beer…for a touch of sweetness, spice, and a little bit of bubbly too!

prep time 5 minutes
total time 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons cranberry sauce or jam
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice, plus grapefruit slices for serving
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 ounces silver tequila
ginger beer for topping
fresh mint and sugared cranberries, for serving (optional)
US Customary - Metric

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill your glass halfway with ice. Add the cranberry sauce, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and tequila. Stir to combine. Top off with ginger beer. Garnish with mint and sugared cranberries, if desired.

*If you prefer to not have whole cranberries in your drink, shake everything together in a cocktail shaker or mix in a glass (except the ginger beer), then strain into a glass filled with ice.

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

1. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups fresh cranberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup. Let sit 10-15 minutes. Strain the cranberries, then add them to a parchment lined baking sheet.

2. Toss the cranberries with 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar until all the cranberries are coated. Allow the cranberries to dry, in a single layer, for at least one hour.
source:https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cranberry-paloma/

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