Next Post
An Easy Christmas Tablescape + My Christmas Menu.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Welcoming in Christmas with this Holly Jolly Christmas Citrus Cocktail. A delicious mix of vodka, St. Germain (elderflower liquor), and fresh squeezed winter citrus juice. All mixed together and topped with bubbly ginger beer and extra festive pomegranates. It’s so simple, refreshing, cheerful, and beyond good. Serve this festive cocktail pitcher style for friends and family this Christmas.
Welcome to the very last Christmas cocktail of the season. It’s crazy to look back at all the cocktails I’ve shared since October (a new one every single Saturday!). But I think my favorites have been the December cocktails. You guys know I love setting the scene and making my recipes look just as good as they taste. But with drinks I love going above and beyond.
I’ve had so much fun being creative and thinking up different cocktails this year. Let’s do a l little recap of some of my favorites…
Gingerbread White Russian...deliciously sweet and dessert worthy.
Chai Old Fashioned…the coziest a cocktail can get.
Spicy Pomegranate Moscow Mule…my family’s favorite of the bunch.
Holiday Bourbon Cheermeister Punch…love. love. love. this one is my favorite.
Christmas Snowstorm Margarita…a mix of both wintry and tropical.
From years past…the North Pole Cocktail, Pomegranate Ginger Paloma, and everyones favorite White Christmas Mojito.
And then, we have today’s cocktail. The cocktail that took me forever to name. The cocktail that’s the easiest to make. And the cocktail that turned out to be one of the prettiest, and that’s loved by all.
Inspired by the all the in-season winter citrus. This cocktail is heavy on the freshly squeezed citrus juice, sweetened with ginger beer, and made boozy with a mix of vodka and St. Germain (elderflower liquor). Just mix everything up in a cocktail glass or pitcher, top with fizzy ginger beer and festive pomegranates, and done. Simple and perfect.
I used clementine juice, but blood orange juice, or even grapefruit juice are both really great options. If you go with blood oranges, you’ll end up with a very festive red cocktail. You can easily make this ahead of time for all your holiday parties. Just be sure to add the ginger beer right before serving so that it does not lose any of it’s fizz!
Or…mix up just one drink as a late night night-cap on Christmas Eve. Everyone can agree that Santa deserves a yummy drink after all that work. Enjoy!
If you make this cocktail, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Holly Jolly Christmas Citrus Cocktail
Servings: 1
Calories Per Serving: 105 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1/2 ounce St. Germain (elderflower liquor)
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed clementine or blood orange juice
- ginger beer, for topping
- pomegranate arils, for topping
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or mint
Instructions
- 1. Fill a cocktail glass with ice. Add the vodka, elderflower liquor (if using), and clementine juice. Top with ginger beer. Add the pomegranates and thyme or mint. Enjoy!
Holly Jolly Christmas Citrus Cocktail Pitcher
Servings: 4 , can easily be doubled
Calories Per Serving: 303 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup St. Germain (elderflower liquor)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed clementine or blood orange juice
- 2 12 ounce ginger beers
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs or mint leaves
- 1 arils from 1 pomegranate
Instructions
- 1. In a large pitcher, combine the vodka, elderflower liquor (if using), and clementine juice. Chill until ready to serve. 2. Just before serving, add ice, ginger beer, and pomegranate arils. Serve garnished with thyme or mint.
This cocktail is really pretty in a glass!
I couldn’t taste the elderflower at all because the clementine flavor was pretty strong. It actually tasted a bit like the an orange flavored vitamin-C mix to me. Feel like it was missing a little zing.
Prob wouldn’t make again but glad I tried it!
Hi there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xT
Made a jug of this for my ladies night, and had to make up another one after everyone wanted more!! I used plain orange juice. The pomegranate arils made the drink look very fancy. I will serve this next month for my family Xmas party.
Hi Lucy,
Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
Made this for a NYE party last night and everyone enjoyed it! Followed the directions for a pitcher using clementine juice. It was beautiful, simple, and delicious!
Hey Kim,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
This was kind of disappointing, looks very cute but tastes pretty blah. There was nothing wrong with it, didn’t taste actively bad but it’s a bit dull.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
How much ginger beer is poured into each cocktail? Recipe for one gives no amount, yet the pitcher for 4 says 2 12-ounce bottles. So, 6oz of ginger beer in each single cocktail? Thanks!
Looking forward to making this but want to get the quantities correct!
Hey Lynda,
You can just do a splash or two of the ginger beer, it’s really just to your liking. I hope you love the recipe! Cheers! xx
Super refreshing and simple complimentary blend ! Kind of reminds me of a mimosa without the bubbles.
Hey Olivia,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
This drink was SO great! It tastes like the holidays. It won the contest at a holiday drink making contest my friends had at their house. And everyone wanted seconds! Thank you!
Hey Andrea,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday!🎄
Not bad, but not very complex. My wife said it’s not very holiday-like. We love so many of the cocktails here, so we’d recommend you look elsewhere.
Another holiday option we highly recommend is Tieghan’s sweet and spicy Grinch cocktail— we served it at last year’s Christmas party at our home, and had multiple people begging for the recipe. So so good.
Thanks so much Evan!
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for trying it Evan! xx
Made this yummy drink tonight. Couldn’t find blood oranges so I combined the naval oranges and grapefruit. Delish !
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Thanksgiving!!🦃🍁 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Delicious drink. I couldn’t find blood oranges so I made a mix of navel oranges and grapefruit!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Amazing! Made this for NYE cocktails and my friends couldn’t get enough!
Hey Elizabeth,
Awesome! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
Delicious and festive! The only problem I had was The pomegranate seeds all sank to the bottom of the glass. Any suggestions on how to get them to float?
Hi Jeanne,
Fantastic! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! Sorry, that will happen, not much you can do about it:) xTieghan
I froze the pomegranate seeds into my ice cubes. That kept them floating.