10 Cocktails With Cranberry Juice for Wedding

Alcohol at a wedding is one of the many perks guests often look forward to as part of the celebration. While some weddings may feature only wine and beer (or no alcohol at all) wedding cocktails offer a fun and attractive opportunity for guests to mix and mingle. Having the right mixes can make your wedding cocktail hour more interesting and memorable. 

Cranberry cocktails are a great addition to your wedding drinks menu. They can add a fun pop of color and also seasonal character to your event, especially if your wedding falls around certain holidays. Today, I’m sharing a round of wedding cocktails that you can make with cranberry juice.

10 Cocktails With Cranberry Juice for Wedding

There are many alcohols that go well with cranberry juice. Knowing this can help you choose which cocktails suit your preferences and curate a wedding drink menu that removes a lot of the guesswork so those in attendance will love it.

What Alcohol Goes With Cranberry Juice

Some top selections include:

• Orange liqueur

• Vodka

• Rum

• Gin

• Tequila

What Cocktails Can You Make With Cranberry Juice

Serve these classic cocktails and your guests will be thoroughly impressed!

Tequila Sunrise

Tequila Sunrise is one of those classic cocktails that are so beautiful and fun, making them perfect to serve for spring and summer weddings. 

Ingredients

2 ounces blanco tequila

4 ounces orange juice, freshly squeezed

1/4 ounce grenadine

Garnish: orange slice

Garnish: cherry

Instructions

1. Add the tequila and then the orange juice to a chilled highball glass filled with ice.

2. Top with the grenadine, which will sink to the bottom of the glass, creating a layered effect.

3. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry.

Full recipe here.

Cranberry Champagne

Perfect for both the men and the women. This classic cocktail is a prime choice for fall or winter weddings.

Ingredients

3 oz Prosecco (champagne, cava) - 68 calories

⅛ cup Cranberries, whole - 6 calories

2 oz Cranberry Juice Cocktail - 30 calories

Instructions 

1. Combine cranberry juice and Prosecco together in a glass

2. Add in washed cranberries

Red, White, and Blue Cocktail 

Ingredients

4 oz Prosecco (champagne, cava) - 90 calories

2 oz Cranberry Juice Cocktail - 30 calories

⅛ cup Blueberries, fresh - 9 calories

Instructions

1. Combine juice and prosecco. Spear blueberries on toothpick, add to drink.

2. 0.125 cups = 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp).

3. This is for those over 21 years old.

Vodka Cranberry (aka Cape Codder)

Ingredients

Ice

3 Tbsp. (1 1/2 oz.) vodka

1/3 cup (about 5 oz.) cranberry juice cocktail

1 lime wedge

Instructions

1. Fill a chilled highball glass with ice cubes.

2. Add vodka and cranberry juice.

3. Use a bar spoon to stir and combine.

4. Garnish with lime wedge. Serve immediately.

Full recipe here.

Holiday Cocktail 

Ingredients

4 oz Prosecco (champagne, cava) - 90 calories

8 oz Cranberry Juice Cocktail - 120 calories

1 Rosemary, sprig - 0 calories

Instructions

1. Combine juice and prosecco. Add in rosemary sprig.

2. This is for those over 21 years.

Holiday Sangria

Ingredients

3 oz Wine (red or white) - 72 calories

2 oz Apple Cider - 35 calories

¼ Apple, medium - 24 calories

¼ cup Cranberries, whole - 12 calories

Instructions

1. Dice apple, wash cranberries.

2. Combine all ingredients in a glass or pitcher (if you’re making multiple servings at once) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

3. Note: No apple cider? Use apple juice. 

4. Note: I’m using a green apple here, and white wine.

Sea Breeze

If you’re not a fan of grapefruit juice, you can swap it out for pineapple juice and you’ll get a Bay Breeze Cocktail instead. Both great options for spring or summer weddings to bring a tropical vibe to your big day.

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces vodka

3 ounces cranberry juice

1 1/2 ounces grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed

Garnish: lime wheel

Instructions

1. Add the vodka, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice into a highball glass with ice and stir.

2. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Cranberry Juice Punch

Not a cocktail, but a great “mocktail” option for your underaged and sober guests desiring a nonalcoholic cranberry beverage. This cranberry punch is a great way to still get the cocktail experience without having a waiter have to whip out the shaker 100 times! You can make it earlier in the day, without adding the ice cubes so it doesn’t get watered down. Keep it chilled and then serve, adding the ice to cool it down. This is a great recipe from Betty Crocker.

Ingredients

1 can (6 ounces) frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 bottle (32 ounces) cranberry juice cocktail, chilled

2 cans (12 ounces each) ginger ale, chilled

Instructions

1. Make lemonade as directed on can in large pitcher.

2. Stir in cranberry juice cocktail and enough ice to chill.

3. Just before serving, stir in ginger ale.

Polished Princess

Vodka and cranberry go together like peas in a pod. Try out this perfect cocktail for your wedding no matter the time of year. Full recipe here.

Ingredients

10 fresh cranberries (you can use frozen and de-thawed if fresh isn't available)
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave or Simple Syrup
1-1/2 oz Absolute Vanilla Vodka
1 egg white
Garnish: 4 fresh cranberries

Instructions

1. In a cocktail shaker, add the cranberries and muddle well.

2. Add the lemon juice, agave, and cinnamon and muddle one more time combining all ingredients well.

3. Add the vanilla vodka and egg white and dry shake without ice until your drink has a nice head of foam.

4. Add ice to fill the shaker and shake again to chill.

5. Strain into a champagne flute or martini glass and add fresh cranberries for garnish. 

Cranberry Margarita

Feel like a pro when you mix together another one of these classic cocktail recipes. For the full recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 ounces cranberry juice

• 1 ounce lime juice

• 1/2 ounce triple sec or orange liqueur

• 1 1/2 ounces tequila

• Sugar, for garnish

• Lime wedge, for garnish

Instructions

1. Rim a highball or margarita glass with sugar and fill with ice.

2. Stir ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and pour into glass.

3. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Poinsettia Cocktail

This beautiful cocktail recipe we found on the Food Network. So good! Your guests will be completely impressed.

Ingredients

1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail, chilled

1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Cointreau, chilled

1/2 cup sparkling rosé wine, chilled

Fresh cranberries, pomegranate seeds (arils) and rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Instructions

1. Stir together the cranberry juice and orange liqueur in a champagne glass. 

2. Top with the sparkling rosé wine. 

3. Garnish with fresh cranberries, pomegranate seeds and a rosemary sprig. 

4. Serve immediately.

Feeling inspired to make the best wedding signature cocktails? Here are a few more custom wedding drink menu ideas to try.

When it comes to making an easy and delicious non-alcoholic cocktail, this 3 ingredient mocktail recipe hardly requires any prep time and is one you should definitely add to the list. Easy to make at home and perfect for warm summer nights, pair this drink at your wedding, especially if there’s BBQ or picnic food or the location is a beach. The key ingredients are pineapple juice, ginger beer, and simple syrup over crushed ice. The pineapple flavor sets everything off just right! Grab the step by step recipe. It’s simple and de-lish!

Virgin Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford is a cocktail in honor of a Hollywood movie star. The traditional recipe calls for run, but you can also do a virgin Mary Pickford with pineapple, cherry juice, and a bit of lime to replace the burn of the rum, and maybe a dash of Angostura bitters. I found this recipe that brings reminiscent flavors guests at your wedding will love.

Sunrise Mocktail

Looking for a fun and fruity alcohol free beverage to serve at your wedding no matter the time of year? You’ll love this easy Sunrise Mocktail recipe that's a play on the infamous Tequila Sunrise. Using orange juice, lemonade and grenadine syrup, you can impress your guests with a color effect that looks like the sunrise and tastes wonderfully delicious! Here’s a walkthrough of the full step by step and link to print recipe.

Hot Buttered Pineapple Mocktail

This hot buttered pineapple mocktail recipe is the perfect non-alcoholic addition to winter weddings. Turn up the heat on cold winter nights with this mocktail drink that calls for pineapple juice, orange juice, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks brought to a boil and served in a mug or hot coffee glass.

Virgin piña colada

If you’re wanting a non-alcoholic beverage spin on a classic cocktail served at your wedding, you’ve got to try this virgin piña colada. With as little as 5 minutes of prep, you can create a lighter version of a timeless classic. Just need frozen pineapple chunks, coconut water, a squeeze of lime juice, and a bit of Coco Lopez (or any cream of coconut), and boom. I love this traditional recipe here that also uses fresh pineapple and a maraschino cherry as a garnish.

How To Serve Mocktails At A Wedding

Glassware

What fun is a mocktail if it isn’t served in a festive and fun glassware to sport. Mocktails look so much more attractive when they’re presented just like a classic cocktail in the form of beautiful glassware. Think the classic coupe glass, a nosed coupe, and a rocks glass. There are so many options to choose from, but having real glassware is essential for mocktail bars at a wedding.

Signage

Arguably the most important thing you must not forget about when serving mocktails is displaying some type of signage that indicates which cocktails contain alcohol and which do not. This information needs to be highlighted either in the form of a dedicated “Mocktail Bar” or a simple memo in the drink menu so that non-alcoholic drinking guests may be informed about the options.

Garnishes

You can’t serve mocktails without having an array of garnish options to choose from. Think mint, fresh fruit, and sugar and spice to align the rim. Depending on the theme or time of year, you might add cinnamon sticks as garnish in the fall or winter months and think of having fresh pineapple in the warmer spring or summer months.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Looking for more non-alcoholic drinks to serve at your wedding? Check out these low sugar mocktails options.

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