Cranberry Rum Cocktail

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This cranberry rum cocktail is the perfect holiday rum drink. Filled with tropical flavor, this Christmas drink has a unique Caribbean twist.

For more tasty rum cocktails, try my banana rum cocktail, my mango rum cocktail or my basil mojito. 

For a holiday mocktail to serve alongside this cranberry rum punch, try this cranberry mocktail.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• How To Make A Cranberry Rum Cocktail
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Tart & Tangy — The cranberry and lime combination give this punch drink a refreshing tanginess that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. 
• Holiday Rum Drink — It’s hard to find festive rum-based cocktails, but this one fits the bill. It tastes like a combination of Christmas and Caribbean beach all in one. 
• Large batch — This is an easy cocktail to serve in a large pitcher, or as a self-serve punch bowl recipe.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Cranberry Juice: Cranberry juice is the star ingredient of the cocktail. I use a red cranberry juice to give the drink its red, Christmas color, but you can experiment with white cranberry juice if you prefer. 
• Rum: Use your favorite type of white rum for this recipe. You could also substitute this for another type of rum, such as dark, spiced rum for a spiced drink, or Malibu for a coconut flavored rum. 
• Pineapple Juice: Use store bought pineapple nectar, or a tropical fruit juice blend as a replacement. Mango nectar also works well as a substitute.
• Orange Juice: If you have the time, use freshly squeezed orange juice, otherwise use a high quality store bought juice. 
• Lime Juice: Lime juice adds to this cocktail’s tangy bite. Opt for freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled lime juice.

How To Make A Cranberry Rum Cocktail

Step 1: Add the cranberry juice, white rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, lime juice and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Step 2: Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass filled with ice.

Expert Tips

• Rim the glasses: For an extra burst of flavor, rim the cocktail glasses with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before pouring the cocktail. 
• Mocktail version: To make this a mocktail, leave out the rum and add in some club soda for a bit of fizz. Alternatively, serve this cranberry rum cocktail alongside this cranberry mocktail recipe. 
• Chill the glasses: Especially if you are serving this drink punch bowl style, chilling the cocktail glasses in the freezer for 30 minutes can help keep the cocktail extra cold. 
• Add some garnish: If you are serving this drink to guests, add some garnish for an elegant presentation. Some ideas include fresh cranberries, lime wheels or a sprig of thyme or rosemary.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe