Smashed Cranberry Mocktail

Have extra cranberries from your holiday dinner? Smash them to make this simple 3 ingredient smashed cranberry mocktail. It's easy, simple, and bursting with flavor. Not a cranberry fan? Try this similar Pomegranate Spritzer.

How will it make your life easier?

If you're anything like me, you get tired of drinking plain water all the time. That's where this simple smashed cranberry mocktail comes in. It's just 3 ingredients and majorly delicious. It's great for any time of the day and is fancy enough for a holiday dinner. Check out these other holiday drinks: Citrusy Sparkling Apple Cider & a Tart Cherry Spritzer.

What makes this drink so good?

• fresh cranberries
• orange juice concentrate
• sparkling water

How do I make a smashed cranberry mocktail?

Add ½ cup washed fresh cranberries and 2 teaspoons orange juice concentrate to your glass. Grab your cocktail muddler (or the bottom of a small jar) and smash your cranberry mixture until it's as smooth as you want.

After your cranberry mixture is smashed, add ½ cup sparkling water to your glass. Stir if desired and enjoy immediately.

Expert Tips

• Orange juice concentrate: the best thing if you're an OJ lover, but cook for one. It lasts for a long time, and honestly adding a spoonful of OJ concentrate to smoothies, chicken dishes, and salad dressings adds a lot of fresh flavor to foods. I highly recommend using concentrate vs regular OJ. Different brands taste different, but I've found a couple I like, especially when adding it to other dishes like I mentioned above.
• If smashed cranberries is too chunky, I recommend throwing them + your OJ + a tablespoon or more of water to a blender/food processor. This will make smooth juice to add to your water.
• You can use cranberry juice if that's what you have, but try it when you have leftover cranberries because it's perfectly tart-sweet with these 3 ingredients. It's really good.

FAQ

Is cranberry juice and cranberry cocktail the same thing?

No they're not the same. Cranberry juice is 100% juice, but may not be 100% cranberry juice. Other fruit juices may be added to sweeten it. Cranberry cocktail usually has added sugar (not from other fruit juices). Taste test the different options to decide which you like better.

Why is it called mocktail?

I don't know exactly why, but it's a mock cocktail. The mocktail recipes I create have different ingredients in them, to make them fun, they just don't have alcohol in them. Some will taste great with some booze added, others will change in flavor.

What can you mix cranberry juice with?

I'm referring to my favorite flavor guide: the Vegetarian Flavor Bible. Here are a couple great flavor pairings for fresh cranberries/cranberry juice:

• ginger
• orange
• cinnamon
• maple syrup
• lemon/lime
• nuts
• pumpkin
• vinegar

What can I make with leftover ingredients?

• Cranberries: Swap for equal parts pomegranate juice in this Pomegranate Lime Spritzer
• Orange Juice Concentrate: Use it in the dressing for this Spinach Salad with Mandarin Oranges

Did you make this smashed cranberry mocktail? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!

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