Christmas Rum Cocktail

This delicious Christmas rum cocktail is a perfect Christmas sharing cocktail and easy to make for parties and events. The spiced rum cranberry cocktail only needs 4 ingredients and can be made in advance.

bright red Christmas rum cocktail in tall glasses on a marble counter

Why you’ll love this Christmas rum cocktail recipe

Simple to make and easy to drink. I love this Christmas rum cocktail because it only needs a handful of ingredients and can be made ahead of your party!

It uses one of my favourite alcohols, rum! Spiced rum makes for the perfect Christmas cocktail and is mixed with cranberry juice – it’s sharp, sweet and spiced.

Your Cranberry rum Bacardi pairs well with my dried oranges which are a perfect garnish. Cooked in the oven, your whole house smells of spiced oranges. What a way to boost your Christmas spirit. They can also be used again and again and are biodegradable too.

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Ingredients
How to Make
Top Tips
Substitutions and Variations
Making Ahead Options
FAQs
Other Recipes You Might Like
Recipe
close up of the bright red Christmas rum cocktail with dried orange slices and rosemary

Top Questions

Is rum good with cranberry?
Does cranberry go with spiced rum?
What is a good drink to mix with spiced rum?
What can I mix with rum besides Coke?

Ingredients

For the full recipe and instructions scroll to the bottom of the page for the recipe card.

Spiced Rum

My favourite type of Christmas alcohol is a warm and spiced rum. It’s full of flavour and works perfectly for scaled-up party cocktails. You can use your favourite spiced rum, I love using Bacardi spiced rum for this spiced rum cranberry cocktail.

This Cranberry Rum Bacardi cocktail is so full of flavour and is the perfect Christmas cocktail.

Cranberry Juice

Unlike its fresh counterpart, cranberry juice is sweet, sticky and perfect for Christmas cocktails. I love using cranberry flavours at Christmas – dried cranberries in my baking and tart juice in my party cocktails.

How to makeChristmas rum cocktail– step by step

Measure

Pour

And serve!

It really is that easy. No need for cocktail shakers or any fancy equipment.

Christmas Rum Cocktail Top Tips

  • You can add a festive garnish to your glass as I have, I used dried oranges and a stick of cinnamon to really bring out the Christmasy flavours.
  • Scale up this recipe for cranberry rum cocktail and then make it ahead of time for your big Christmas party.
  • If you are making this. cocktail ahead – be sure to mix everything together except the ginger beer which is best when its mixed together fresh.

Christmas Cocktail Ideas

3 Garnishes to make a Christmas cocktail even more special at home.

DRIED ORANGE SLICES

I love dried orange slices as they are so easy to make at home, they last for years and can be used to make sweet treats and cocktails look instantly spectacular.
You can add the dried orange slice directly into the drink or slice it slightly so you can balance it on the side.

CINNAMON STICKS

This is one of the most iconic ways to decorate cocktails and food at Christmas. Cinnamon sticks add an incredibly delicious and rich smell to the drink and are picture-perfect for an Instagram photo.

SPRIG OF FRESH ROSEMARY

Adding a sprig of fresh rosemary is the closest way to add a little piece of Christmas tree to your drink. It looks beautiful, is edible so is safe to use and smells wonderful too. A beautiful way to decorate a Cranberry Rum Bacardi cocktail.

Christmas rum cocktail in tall glasses and in a sharing jug

Substitutions and variations

Alcohol free

You can use your favourite 0% spiced rum for this Cranberry Christmas rum cocktail, or if you want to stay away from any spirits – omit the rum altogether and simply mix the cranberry juice and ginger beer with your twist of lime.

Vodka and cranberry Christmas cocktail

Not a fan of rum? Not a problem, vodka mixes really well with cranberry juice and the peppery, spicy ginger beer. Perfect for when this rum cocktail has gone down too well and you need some extra.

Making ahead of time options

This Christmas rum cocktail can easily be made up the day before, just be sure to leave out the ginger beer otherwise it will go flat overnight!

Mix everything together and pop it in the fridge, then when you are ready to serve add the ginger beer and give your spiced rum cranberry cocktail a quick stir.

FAQS

Is rum good with cranberry?

Yes, Rum is great with cranberry, it’s a perfect balance of sweet and tart. A spiced rum works really well with cranberry juice to make aspiced rum cranberry cocktail.

Does cranberry go with spiced rum?

Cranberry does go well with spiced rum! It’s the perfect Christmas rum cocktail, warm spiced and a little tart from the cranberry juice.

What is a good drink to mix with spiced rum?

Cranberry juice is a good drink to mix with spiced rum, the flavours pair really well together and make for a wonderful spice Christmas cocktail. You can also mix ginger beer with spiced rum or cherry coke for a slightly sweeter drink.

What can I mix with rum besides Coke?

You can mix ginger beer, cranberry juice, lemonade or a flavoured coke to your rum besides coke. You can also add peppery Indian tonic water to the spiced rum. Most simple mixers will work well with spiced rum.

close up of the Christmas rum cocktail garnish

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Recipe

Christmas Rum Cocktail

Sisley White
This delicious Christmas rum cocktail is a perfect Christmas sharing cocktail and easy to make for parties and events. The spiced rum cranberry cocktail only needs 4 ingredients and can be made in advance.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Cocktails, Drinks
Cuisine British, International
Servings 1 drink
Calories 166 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 

  • handful of ice cubes
  • 50 ml spiced rum
  • Juice freshly squeezed from half a lime
  • 100 ml cranberry juice
  • Top up with ginger beer

Instructions
 

  • Pour the spiced rum over a few ice cubes in a tall glass.
  • Squeeze the fresh lime into the glass.
  • Add the cranberry juice and gently stir.
  • Top up with the ginger beer and serve.

Video

Notes

If you want to make this ahead of time for a party – mix together everything except the ginger beer, into a jug and pop in the fridge. Then top with ginger beer when you’re ready to serve to keep the finished drink lovely and bubbly.

Nutrition

Calories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 0.4gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 48IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.3mg

Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Keyword Christmas cranberry cocktails, Christmas rum cocktail, cranberry juice, cranberry rum cocktail, rum, spiced rum
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10 thoughts on “Christmas Rum Cocktail”

  1. 5 stars
    No need to wait til Christmas to make these — made them over the weekend, and it’s our new favourite! The ginger beer, rum and cranberry pair amazingly!

    Reply

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