It’s time to kick off the holiday season and if you’re anything like me that means it’s time to also start getting ready to host holiday parties with great tablescapes, delicious food and festive holiday cocktails . Many of us have started to plan out our holiday shopping strategy, putting up decorations and making plans for any holiday gatherings. For my family, we have begun thinking about the menus for Christmas, and though I am a great chef and baker, but my family says my biggest skill lies in bartending (well, as an at-home bartender). I’ve already begun trying out a few holiday cocktails and I’m excited to share these recipes with you since my family says that they are in love. So to kick off the holiday cocktail season, I want to share with you this spectacular holiday Cranberry Moscato cocktail.
Earlier this year, I had created a few summer cocktails such as my Blueberry Honey Old Fashioned which I still make for my husband from time to time. But for the holiday season, I aimed to make cocktails that are great for holiday activities and festivities and would look great in a holiday tablescape.
The Cranberry Moscato cocktail is an ideal cocktail for those looking to host small holiday gatherings, or if you’re having a bigger gathering and want a drink to serve during your “cocktail hour” this drink is a great one as well. Even more, it’s a great cocktail to also serve during New Year’s Eve. The bubbles and the tang of the cranberries blend smoothly together to create taste that makes you feel like it was meant for the holiday season.
This holiday cocktail does not require a lot of time to put together. So as glasses need to be refilled, you can quickly make the drink without taking too much time away from spending time with friends and family and/or paying attention to making sure the food is available or preparing it in any way. Just make sure that you keep a few bottles of Moscato around to keep making the cocktail and to keep glasses filled as they run out. And then as the night continues, if you want to serve an after dinner drink, I recommend the Hot Vanilla Chai Tea Latte holiday cocktail that will be a great transition from the Cranberry Moscato.
CRANBERRY MOSCATO COCKTAIL
My favorite types of holiday drinks to make during Christmas are easy cocktails, and wine cocktails are some of the easiest cocktails to make. During the holiday season, one of the two cocktails that I tend to make when I need to make quick and easy, great tasting cocktails are the Cranberry Moscato Cocktail and the Starlit Apple Mimosa. These both are always great hits and they are quick to make so that you don’t feel like you need to spend tons of time being the bartender. This sparking wine cocktail takes less than two minutes to make and it is a sophisticated drink to serve during a variety of holiday parties and gatherings.
This cocktail is one that I would recommend that you make by the glass, it’s not one that you’ would throw into a pitcher so you really aren’t going to need to know about prep time. If you are looking for someone who wants to make a batch cocktail in a large pitcher, I recommend spiffing off of this to make a fresh Moscato sangria, a Moscato punch, or even trying out the White Christmas Margarita which is a cocktail that you can make by the glass put does well being made by the glass as well.
THE SELECTED Moscato FOR YOUR COCKTAIL
You probably have been to the store and saw that there are a variety of Moscato options to choose from, so you may be wondering which Moscato is right for your cocktail. A Moscato wine is sweet and bubbly, which means that you’ll be creating a sparkling cocktail. For this cranberry cocktail, you can use a variety to add a different type of taste to each one.
STILL MOSCATO – contains less bubbles to give a different taste
PINK MOSCATO – includes Merlot which gives it a little bit more of a strawberry fruity flavor
MOSCATO SANGRIA – this is dependent upon the brand that sells it and may include a variety of other tastes and flavors
RED MOSCATO – contains floral and fruity elements and is typically used as a dessert wine
WHAT TO PAIR YOUR Cranbery Moscato Cocktail WITH
Moscato wine, like mentioned is a sweet and sparkling wine. Typically, you’ll see Moscato paired with desserts, appetizers, and fruits – which is why this wine is a great one to serve with a charcuterie board. For serving this cocktail during the holiday season, I recommend serving it with holiday desserts for a Christmas dessert party since the cranberry juice takes some of the sweetness down to make a great balance. Additionally, if you are hosting Christmas dinner, you can also serve this cocktail as a pre-dinner cocktail while guests eat bites of appetizers.
The Cranberry Moscato cocktail is a great holiday drink for entertaining. The mix of sparkling Moscato, a little bit of bourbon, and cranberry juice mix together to make a drink that everyone will enjoy.
Ingredients
Bourbon
Sparkling Moscato
Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
Cranberries
Instructions
Fill a champagne glass with 1 shot of bourbon
Add in sparkling Moscato to fill glass up to 3/4 full
Top off the glass with unsweetened cranberry juice
