Bright, fresh, and beautiful! This frosted mistletoe punch is made without alcohol but still packs that boozy feeling in every sip. It's tart and icy, full of seasonal flavors of cranberry, lemon, and grapefruit, and a gorgeous natural red color.
what is a frosted mistletoe punch?
This recipe goes out to my fellow wintertime iced coffee drinkers! There's something strangely cozy about having an icy drink even when it's freezing cold out and this drink is very on season in terms of its ingredients and color.
After seeing THIS Frosted Mistletoe Margarita on Pinterest, I've been so so excited to try to make my own version but with some different flavors - and alcohol free! This drink is full of bright and citrusy flavors with fresh grapefruit, lemon, and cranberries. It blends up into the consistency of a slushie but is thinned out with a bit of sparkling water to make it the perfect frosty drink. And it gets its beautiful natural red color from a mix of fresh cranberries and cranberry juice!
how does this mocktail work?
This mock cocktail uses my favorite trick for imitating alcohol in drinks: sparkling water! Using a fizzy drink helps imitate that slight kick you feel in the back of your throat when you drink actual alcohol. The sourness from the grapefruit and lemon also give that same feeling without any booze!
how to make frosted mistletoe punch
This punch involves 3 main steps. This first is to rim the glasses with sparkly sugar. It's optional, but I personally love the little crunch it gives and it also adds to the whole "frosted" theme. To the sugar mixture, I also like to add a little bit of salt to mellow out the sweetness a bit and it really makes it taste SO good.
To actually get the sugar to stick to the rim of the glass, I just used a wedge of grapefruit and ran it around the rim to moisten before dipping in the sugar. You could also use a lemon wedge or even just plain water if you prefer.
Once that's done, a simple syrup is whipped up to sweeten the punch. This simply involves bringing equal parts sugar and water up to a boil and then letting it cool before using. It's very important to let it fully cool before adding it to the drink or it will melt the ice!
You could also use store bought simple syrup or honey to sweeten the drink. I personally used all the syrup because I love a sweet drink, but I would recommend you start with a little less and then adjust to taste as needed. The sweetness of your drink can also be impacted by the brand of cranberry juice you're using - so also keep that in mind.
Finally, all the ingredients (except for the sparkling water) are thrown together into a blender and blended up into an icy beauty! The sparkling water is for serving - so fill each glass about ¾ of the way full and top them up with the sparkling water to fill the cup.
can you make an alcohol version?
Yes! This recipe works with alcohol - simply swap out the sparkling water for your favorite drink. Vodka or champagne would work really well here but you can get super creative! Just do be mindful of the sugar content of whatever you use and adjust accordingly.
check out these other Christmas recipes!
• White Christmas Cake
• Cranberry Apple Mocktail
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce
• How to Make Sugared Cranberries & Sugared Rosemary
• Giant Sugar Cookie Cake
• Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making. Cheers!
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Frosted Mistletoe Punch (Alcohol-Free)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: approx. 4-6 servings
Description
Bright, fresh, and beautiful! This frosted mistletoe punch is made without alcohol but still packs that boozy feeling in every sip. It's tart and icy, full of seasonal flavors of cranberry, lemon, and grapefruit, and a gorgeous natural red color.
Ingredients
For Rimming the Glass:
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Wedge of grapefruit or lemon
For the Mocktail:
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80mL) water
- 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest
- ½ cup (120mL) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup (240mL) cranberry juice
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 cups ice
- 1 cup (240mL) sparkling water *SEE NOTES for making an alcohol version
Instructions
Rim the Glasses:
- *The ingredient amounts listed will be enough to rim 4-6 cups (depending on the size). If you plan on dividing the drink into more glasses, make sure to take that into account.
- In a shallow bowl or plate, mix together sugar and salt.
- Take a wedge of grapefruit or lemon and run it around the rim of the glass to moisten it. Dip the rim of the glass in the sugar / salt to coat and repeat with your remaining glasses.
Make the Mocktail:
- To make the simple syrup, combine sugar and water in a small pot then place over high heat. Bring the mixture up to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour it into a bowl or cup and set aside to cool completely before using.
- In a large blender, combine all the remaining mocktail ingredients (minus the sparkling water). Pour in some of the syrup - I personally used all of it because I like a sweeter drink, but I would start with less and add if needed after tasting. Blend together until it's the consistency of a slushie.
- Taste for sugar and (if needed) add the remaining syrup and blend until combined. If you'd still like it sweeter, you can use some honey. If you accidentally made it too sweet, you can add more sparkling water in the next step to mellow it out.
- Divide the mocktail mixture into the prepared cups, filling each one a little under ¾ of the way full. Pour sparkling water into each glass to fill the remaining space in the cups to the top.
- Decorate with rosemary sprigs and fresh cranberries. Serve right away!
Notes
* This recipe can be made into a cocktail - simply swap out the sparkling water for your favorite alcohol. Vodka or champagne would pair really well here but you can really use anything you like! Just do be mindful of the sugar content of whatever you use and adjust accordingly.
Enjoy!
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