Christmas Mocktail Recipes: 5 Festive Drinks with Frozen Fruit

A good Christmas mocktail should feel like a real drink, not a glass of juice with a straw in it. The easiest way to get there is fruit, and frozen fruit makes it even easier.

IQF fruit is picked ripe and frozen within hours, so it brings real color and flavor any month of the year. It also does double duty: it blends straight into syrups and purées, and it works as ice that chills the drink without watering it down.

Here are five festive mocktails, each built around one fruit. Every recipe makes one drink unless noted, and all of them come together in about 10 minutes.

The recipes

1. Cranberry Rosemary Spritz
2. Strawberry Mint Mojito Mocktail
3. Mango Ginger Fizz
4. Blueberry Lemon Sparkler
5. Cherry Christmas Punch (for a crowd)

1. Cranberry Rosemary Spritz

The most Christmas drink on this list. Tart cranberry syrup, a little lime and plenty of bubbles, finished with rosemary and a few cranberries. The syrup makes enough for 4 drinks. Easy.

For the cranberry syrup (makes about ¾ cup):

• 1 cup frozen whole cranberries
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

For each drink:

• 3 tbsp (1½ oz) cranberry syrup
• 1 tbsp (½ oz) fresh lime juice
• ½ cup (4 oz) chilled sparkling water
• Ice
• A few cranberries, to garnish
• Rosemary sprig and a lime wheel, to garnish

How to make it:

1. Simmer the cranberries, sugar, water and rosemary over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until the berries burst.
2. Mash lightly, let it cool, then strain and discard the rosemary.
3. Fill a glass with ice, add the syrup and lime juice, and top with sparkling water.
4. Stir once and garnish with rosemary, a few cranberries and a lime wheel.

Get the full Cranberry Rosemary Spritz recipe

2. Strawberry Mint Mojito Mocktail

A virgin mojito with a red and green holiday look. Frozen sliced strawberries soften in a few minutes, so they muddle easily. Easy.

You'll need:

• ½ cup frozen sliced strawberries
• 8 fresh mint leaves
• 1½ tbsp (¾ oz) fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp (½ oz) simple syrup
• Crushed ice
• ½ cup (4 oz) chilled club soda
• Mint sprig and a lime wedge, to garnish

How to make it:

1. Let the strawberries sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until soft.
2. Muddle the strawberries, mint, lime juice and simple syrup in a tall glass.
3. Fill with crushed ice and top with club soda.
4. Stir from the bottom up and garnish with mint and lime.

Get the full Strawberry Mint Mojito recipe

3. Mango Ginger Fizz

Bright, a little spicy and great for anyone tired of cranberry everything. The mango gives it body, so it tastes like a real cocktail. Easy.

You'll need:

• ½ cup frozen mango chunks
• ¼ cup (2 oz) cold water or orange juice
• 1 tbsp (½ oz) fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger
• Ice
• ⅓ cup (3 oz) chilled ginger beer
• Lime wheel, to garnish

How to make it:

1. Blend the frozen mango, water or orange juice, lime juice and ginger until completely smooth.
2. Pour over ice in a highball glass.
3. Top with ginger beer and stir gently.
4. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Get the full Mango Ginger Fizz recipe

4. Blueberry Lemon Sparkler

A deep jewel-toned drink in a coupe, made for a New Year's Eve toast. Sparkling cider gives it the feel of a glass of bubbly. Easy.

You'll need:

• ½ cup frozen blueberries
• 1½ tbsp (¾ oz) fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp (½ oz) honey or simple syrup
• 2 tbsp (1 oz) water
• ⅓ cup (3 oz) chilled non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider
• Lemon twist, to garnish

How to make it:

1. Blend the blueberries, lemon juice, honey and water for about 20 seconds.
2. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a coupe, pressing on the pulp.
3. Top slowly with sparkling cider.
4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Get the full Blueberry Lemon Sparkler recipe

5. Cherry Christmas Punch

A big-batch punch for parties and holiday events, mixed right in the pitcher. Frozen cherries go in instead of ice, so the punch stays cold without getting watered down. Serves about 12. Easy.

You'll need:

• 4 cups cranberry juice
• 2 cups orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 4 cups chilled ginger ale
• 3 cups frozen cherries
• 1 orange, thinly sliced
• Ice, for serving

How to make it:

1. Stir the cranberry, orange and lime juice together in one or two large pitchers. You can do this a few hours ahead and keep it in the fridge.
2. Right before serving, add the frozen cherries and orange slices.
3. Pour in the ginger ale so it stays fizzy.
4. Pour into glasses with ice and add an orange slice to each.

Get the full Cherry Christmas Punch recipe

Serving Mocktails to a Crowd

If you run a hotel bar, a catering service or an event venue, these recipes scale up easily, and frozen fruit makes them simple to run on a busy night.

• Prep the bases ahead. The cranberry syrup keeps in the fridge for up to a week. Blend the mango and blueberry bases in batches and keep them chilled for the same day.
• Keep every drink the same. Measure the fruit for each drink by weight, not by eye, so each glass looks and tastes the same.
• Stay on the menu longer. Fresh cranberries are harvested in the fall, but frozen cranberries let you keep a cranberry drink on the menu all winter.
• Use purée for speed. Mango, blueberry and raspberry also come as frozen purée, which skips the blender and speeds up service.

FAQ

Can you use frozen fruit in mocktails?

Yes. Frozen fruit blends into smooth purées and syrups, and it works as ice that adds flavor instead of water. Because it's frozen at peak ripeness, the color and flavor stay consistent all year.

Do I need to thaw frozen fruit first?

Not for blending or simmering. For muddled drinks like the strawberry mojito, let the fruit sit out for about 10 minutes so it softens.

How far ahead can I make a Christmas punch?

Mix the juices a few hours ahead and keep them in the fridge. Add the frozen fruit and ginger ale right before serving so the punch stays cold and fizzy.

What's the best fruit for Christmas mocktails?

Cranberries and cherries give the classic deep red holiday color. Strawberries and mint look festive together, and blueberries make a dark, elegant drink for New Year's Eve.

Mocktails All Year

Every recipe here uses the same IQF fruit we supply to beverage brands, juice bars, hotels and foodservice operators: whole cranberries, sliced strawberries, mango chunks, blueberries and cherries.

Building a holiday drink menu? Request a quote and our team will help you find the right fruit and format.