Last Updated on December 22, 2025 by Sabrina Currie
Fragrant and beautiful, this festive cranberry orange Christmas prosecco cocktail is also tasty and refreshing. It's an easy drink with just 3 main ingredients. Plus, serve it with super easy frozen rosemary Christmas trees in glasses and I guarantee you'll impress your guests!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- Minimal ingredients, maximum sparkle! This beautifully balanced cocktail is fizzy and refreshing and with a subtle sweet tart flavor from cranberry juice and Grand Marnier (orange liqueur). It's quick to mix and serve.
- Easy to batch! You can scale this up into a prosecco punch for a large gathering or you can premix and chill the Grand Marnier and cranberry juice a few hours ahead, pouring into champagne flutes and topping with prosecco once guests arrive.
- So pretty for entertaining! It's the perfect festive cocktail for a Christmas party, Christmas brunch or to toast the new year. It's a lighter, brighter cousin to a poinsettia cocktail and a more elegant drink than the average mimosa. Fresh cranberries, orange slices or twists and a sprig of rosemary or thyme turn this into an elegant drink that looks at home on any holiday table.
- Flexible and fun! Swap in fresh orange juice, grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, or a splash of grenadine in place of the cranberry juice. Use Champagne or Cava in place of prosecco if you wish. For a non-alcoholic version, add a dash of simple syrup and a splash of soda water or club soda in place of the liqueur and prosecco.
Cocktail Ingredients
If you love classic cocktails that are easy to build, this will quickly become your go-to fizzy cocktail for the festive season. This elegant drink uses just a few ingredients so use the best you can for the perfect holiday tipple. (Want to add another cocktail to the evening? Try the holiday favorite, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation eggnog!)
- Prosecco - Choose a dry style prosecco over a sweeter one unless you want your prosecco cocktail extra sweet.
- Orange Liqueur - Orange liqueur really livens up this drink and combined with the cranberry juice, it creates a classic holiday flavor. Grand Marnier is my favorite for a well balanced orange flavor that isn't too sweet but you can also use Cointreau, Triple Sec or any similar orange liqueur that you like the taste of.
- Cranberry Juice - I like the pure, tart and slightly bitter flavor of 100% cranberry juice for this cocktail and that is what I recommend.
- Garnishes - A wheel, wedge or triangle of orange is perfect. For more wow factor, freeze cranberries and rosemary sprigs with a small base of water to resemble Christmas trees. (How-to photos below)
The Key To A Great Christmas Prosecco Cocktail
Like most champagne cocktails, the magic is in the details, not the length of the ingredient list.
Start with cold ingredients and chill your Grand Marnier, cranberry juice and Prosecco well ahead of time and pop your champagne flutes in the freezer. Cold ingredients keep the bubbles lively and the flavors crisp.
Serve prosecco cocktails in a chilled champagne coupe, flute or tall slim glass, and don't forget to garnish it, even just a little for festive cheer in a glass.
Use a dry, good-quality Prosecco. A dry (brut) Prosecco keeps this from becoming too sweet. Save sweeter bottles for dessert or a traditional mimosa.
Layer gently for an ombre look. Pouring the cranberry juice slowly down the back of a bar spoon lets it drift to the bottom and gives the drink a layered effect that you often see in fancy champagne cocktails.
Fresh garnishes make all the difference. Fresh cranberries, a sprig of rosemary or thyme, orange slices or a few pomegranate seeds all add fragrance and color. A fresh garnish is what takes it from "nice drink" to holiday showstopper.
Substitutions + Variations
If you love this style of cranberry prosecco cocktail, there are so many fun ways to riff on it and make it your own signature Christmas prosecco cocktail.
- Swap French Champagne or dry Spanish Cava for the Italian prosecco if you like.
- A pomegranate prosecco punch is a touch sweeter and richer. Just use pomegranate juice in place of the cranberry juice and garnish with pomegranate seeds and slices of lemon.
- A holiday elderflower Prosecco cocktail with elderflower liqueur, fresh lime juice and Prosecco for a floral twist.
- Sugar rim the glasses and garnish with mint sprigs or stems of lavender and lemon or lime twists for a spring or summer vibe.
Instructions: How To Make Frozen Christmas Tree Garnishes And Layer The Cocktail
Of course you can skip down to step 4 if you like, but... these cute frozen Christmas tree garnishes are super simple and so fun!
Step 1. Place cranberries into the bottom of flutes or glasses about 3-4 cranberries deep. Nestle a sprig of rosemary stem side down, into the cranberries. (Lavender, thyme or even a sprig of fir are fine substitutions.)
Step 2. Gently pour water to just below the top of the cranberries (about ¾-1inch high).
Step 3. Place the glasses carefully into the freezer and leave them there until frozen. (Mine took about 4 hours for a solid freeze, but you can do these up to a week ahead.)
Step 4. Add 1 ounce of orange liqueur to each chilled glass. Top with 4 ounces of prosecco. Then with a bar spoon (or teaspoon) turned upside down, pour the cranberry juice down the inside side of the glass to let it pool in the bottom, creating a layered effect. (You can skip the layering if you like and it will taste just as good.)
Step 5. Garnish the cocktails! If you've already made the frozen Christmas tree garnishes, a small twist of orange adds a touch of elegant fragrance. If you didn't do the Christmas trees, a few frozen cranberries or a fresh sprig of rosemary, mint or fir, make a nice pop of color along with the orange.
Save This Festive Prosecco Cocktail Recipe
Love this festive cranberry orange Christmas prosecco cocktail? Save it to Pinterest or Facebook so it's easy to find next time. This cocktail recipe is also great for New Year's Eve and Thanksgiving, too!
More Drink Recipes
If you love a good cocktail recipe, try some of these for your next party or Friday night in.
📖 Recipe
Festive Cranberry Orange Christmas Prosecco Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 oz Grand Marnier
- 1 oz Cranberry Juice
- 4 oz Prosecco
- Orange wheels or twists
- rosemary sprigs and fresh or frozen cranberries for garnish
Instructions
- Chill liqueur, juice and prosecco ahead of time. Place champagne glasses or tall slim glasses in the freezer or freeze them with cranberries and a rosemary sprig ahead of time.
- Pour 1 oz Gran Marnier into each glass and top with prosecco. Place a bar spoon downwards and slowly pour the juice over so it runs down the inside of the glass to the bottom if you want a layered drink. Top with half an orange wheel or an orange twist and serve right away.
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