The merry Christmas mocktail is simple to make and tastes just like the holiday season with juicy winter fruits and cozy spices. Check out my pro tips and tricks to get you into the Christmas spirit with no alcohol.
And if you enjoy this Christmas-themed mocktail, you'll love my delicious holiday spiced eggnog or pomegranate mocktail punch, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Festive Fun - This is a sparkling, fizzy holiday drink with classic red and green colors. And rosemary adds a festive pop of green reminiscent of a Christmas tree and a whiff of freshness that meets your nose with each sip!
Christmas Flavor - You'll taste the flavors of juicy winter fruits and sweet holiday spice. And this non alcoholic holiday drink is great for all ages.
Quick and Easy - The Christmas pomegranate mocktail is a great, simple mocktail recipe for beginners. Just pour, mix, and sip! The most involved part is garnishing the glass.
👉🏾 If you're into gorgeous, gorgeous mocktails, check out my honey hibiscus rose mocktail or easy coconut water mocktail, and you should go ahead and get my sparkling New Year's Eve mocktail on deck. And peppermint hot chocolate is perfect for this time of year!
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What You'll Need for this Recipe
Grapefruit juice and zest are called for, so make sure to use fresh grapefruit, not just the bottled kind.
Pomegranate juice and the arils, aka seeds for sweet juicy flavor and a festive finish. You can also make this Christmas mocktail with cranberry juice--I recommend unsweetened.
Turbinado Sugar - Also known as sanding sugar, sparkling sugar, or sugar sprinkles. I don't recommend using regular granulated sugar here because it often melts into the citrus juice without giving the sparkly effect.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Citrus - Grapefruit adds the perfect tartness to balance out the pomegranate juice, but you can make a holiday mocktail with oranges, too. Cara Cara oranges and blood oranges are great in this recipe.
Sweetener - I don't add any sweetener to my Christmas morning mocktail, but if you want to, I recommend maple syrup, citrus simple syrup, or honey ginger syrup.
Bubbles - Make your Christmas mocktail with ginger beer for Christmas mule mocktail vibes, switch things up with ginger ale for less bite, or replace with kombucha for a healthy mocktail. You can also use sparkling water and a splash of ACV for a blood sugar-friendly Christmas mocktail for pregnancy or PCOS (NIH).
Cocktail - What's the best alcohol for a Christmas cocktail? Add a shot of rum or gin for extra holiday spirit.
For festive winter cocktails, check out my list of Christmas party drinks, grapefruit pomegranate gin & tonic and my pomegranate champagne cocktail or citrus champagne cocktail! And the blood orange martini is another seasonal fave.
How to Make a Sparkling Christmas Mocktail
Step One: Grate nutmeg and grapefruit zest into sugar and combine.
Step Two: Run a piece of grapefruit along the side of glass then press into sugar mixture to make the festive rim.
Pro Tip #1
Grab a microplane or zester to make quick work of the fresh nutmeg and grapefruit.
Step Three: Add ice to glass then pour in grapefruit and pomegranate juice.
Step Four: Top up with ginger beer.
Step Five: Stir to combine.
Step Six: Garnish with pomegranate arils and a sprig of rosemary, then serve.
Pro Tip #2
Use a bar spoon to gently stir the mocktail, or a teaspoon or butter knife in a pinch.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don't recommend making this mocktail more than one hour in advance in order to preserve the bubbles.
Make this an alcohol-free Christmas punch by combining 1 ½ cup pomegranate juice, 1 cup grapefruit juice, and 24 ounces of ginger beer. Serve over ice and garnish with pomegranate seeds and rosemary sprigs.
More Favorite Zero Proof Drink Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Happy holidays, and I hope you'll enjoy a zero-proof merry mocktail or two soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this easy Christmas mocktail recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Merry Christmas Mocktail
Equipment
- 1 microplane or zester
- 1 jigger or shot glass
- 1 highball glass
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or sparkling sugar
- 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest from about one fresh grapefruit
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
- ice
- 3 ounces pomegranate juice
- 2 ounces grapefruit juice from about ½ fresh grapefruit
- 6 ounces ginger beer
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate arils
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Pour sanding sugar into a shallow dish then zest grapefruit over top, followed by fresh nutmeg. Mix together.1 tbsp turbinado sugar, 1 tbsp grapefruit zest, ½ tsp nutmeg
- Rub a piece of grapefruit along the side of a highball glass then press into the sugar mixture to create a decorative rim.
- Fill garnished glass ¾ of the way with ice.ice
- Pour in pomegranate and grapefruit juices then top up with ginger beer.3 ounces pomegranate juice, 2 ounces grapefruit juice, 6 ounces ginger beer
- Stir mixture gently to combine. Garnish with pomegranate arils and fresh rosemary. Serve cold.1 tbsp pomegranate arils, 1 sprig fresh rosemary
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