A Santa Clausmopolitan is the ultimate festive Christmas drink! It's a bright red holiday cocktail made with zesty cranberry juice, vodka, and notes of lime and orange. Rim the glass with crushed candy canes!
Jump to:
What ingredients are in a Clausmopolitan cocktail?
A Clausmopolitan is a Christmas version of the traditional Cosmopolitan, which is made with citrus-flavored vodka, triple sec, lime juice, and cranberry juice and served straight up (without ice).
This drink gained popularity during the 1990s thanks to the television show Sex and the City, where it was a favorite drink of Carrie Bradshaw. However, its origins are widely disputed, with some accounts dating back to the 1930s.
Recipe Preparation
The preparation for this holiday cocktail could not be simpler. To make it, you'll combine vodka, Cointreau/triple sec, lime juice, and cranberry juice in a shaker filled with ice.
You will then strain this into a prepared martini glass. This can be done with a cocktail shaker, but a regular glass also works.
Customizations for Non-Alcoholic
To make a virgin cosmopolitan, replace Cointreau with orange juice and vodka with pink lemonade. Feel free to get creative here! Regular ginger ale, sparkling water, or kombucha would all be delicious substitutes.
Clausmopolitan Details
A "Clausmopolitan" is a Cosmo cocktail with a bit of holiday cheer. To make this traditional drink more festive for the season, we've made a few changes to the original recipe.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
- A traditional Cosmo has only a splash of cranberry juice. In this recipe we've increased that to 2 full ounces, to really give a bright red hue.
- Typical Cosmos also do not have a rimmed glass edge. Just for fun, we've coated the rim in crushed candy canes.
How to Make a Clausmopolitan
1. Begin by carefully crushing a candy cane into small pieces. This can be done in a high-speed blender or by carefully crushing by hand under a heavy glass. Spread powder onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of your cocktail glass to moisten it, then dip in the powder to coat. Set aside.
2. Add ice to a cocktail shaker. Pour 1.5 oz. vodka, 2 oz. cranberry juice, lime juice, and optional 1 oz. Cointreau inside. Add lid and shake until your hands are cold about 20 seconds.
3. Strain the cocktail into a prepared glass. Zest reserved lime over top. Garnish with cranberries if using and serve immediately.
FAQ
For a cosmopolitan or Clausmopolitan, any kind of fruit juice can be substituted for cranberry. The closest example is pomegranate juice, which retains that bit of tartness.
Cointreau is a type of tripe sec. It tends to be higher in alcohol than other kinds, and it's full of warming spices that enhance the
I hope you enjoy this holiday cocktail recipe! If you're looking for more winter drink inspiration, try one of these next.
More Holiday Cocktails
Please let me know if you tried this recipe by leaving a rating and review! I love hearing how things turn out.
Santa Clausmopolitan
Ingredients
- Candy cane for rim (optional, feel free to use sugar instead)
- One lime wedge along with the juice and reserved zest of one half
- 1.5 oz citrus vodka or regular vodka one shot*
- 2 oz cranberry juice .25 cups
- 1 oz Cointreau optional
- Fresh cranberries for garnishing optional
Instructions
- Begin by carefully crushing a candy cane into small pieces. This can be done in a high speed blender or by carefully crushing by hand under a heavy glass. Spread powder onto a small plate. Rub a lime wedge around the rim of your cocktail glass to moisten it, then dip in the powder to coat. Set aside.
- Add ice to a cocktail shaker. Pour vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, and optional Cointreau inside. Add lid and shake until your hands are cold, about 20 seconds.
- Strain cocktail into prepared glass. Zest reserved lime over top. Garnish with cranberries if using and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin the Santa Clausmopolitan Recipe for later
Tina says
This was such a hit at my holiday party - thank you so much for the simple recipe! I called them Mrs. Clausmopolitans haha!
Emily says
I am glad to hear that, Tina! Thank you for trying!
Sarah says
Dear Emily,
I just wanted to tell you that it’s been so fun looking through all of your drink ideas! I’m planning my Christmas Eve dinner and using Garlic-Head for many of my recipes, including the “main” drink of the night! But how do I choose??? 😃 Thank you, Garlic-Head!
Emily says
Thank you so much for reading through them, AS! I am so glad!
Megha Nagel says
These were awesome! Thanks so much!
Emily says
Thank you for trying them, Megha!