The Best Christmas Citrus Punch
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The Best Christmas Citrus Punch
Meet The Best Christmas Citrus Punch—your new holiday favorite! Bright, zesty, and perfectly spiced, this bubbly blend of cranberry, orange, and ginger ale is as festive as it gets. With its vibrant colors and fresh garnishes, it’s easy to make and guaranteed to wow at any holiday gathering. Vegan + Dairy-free!
Another drink recipe to add to Orchids + Sweet Tea’s archives, and I’m so excited to share The Best Christmas Citrus Punch! Drinks are hands down one of my favorite things to make—they’re quick, fun, and the perfect canvas for experimenting with bold, festive flavors. Whether it’s a classic eggnog, a cozy hot cocoa, or a refreshing mocktail like this punch, there’s always room for a little creativity in the drink department.
When the Holidays roll around, I’m all about bold, festive flavors, and this punch hits all the right notes—zesty citrus, warming spices, and a hint of bibbles from ginger ale. It’s so easy to make, which makes it perfect for the holiday rush. Can you believe we’re already counting down to Christmas? This has become a favorite in my house—even the kids love it! If you’re looking for more festive sips, be sure to check out my Holiday Drinks category for even more easy, crowd-pleasing recipes.
Jump to:
- What You’ll Enjoy Most About The Best Christmas Citrus Punch
- How to Make Christmas Citrus Punch
- Ingredients
- Why Fresh Cranberries?
- Are Cranberries Good for You?
- Why Pomegranate Seeds?
- What Other Ingredients Can I Add?
- Christmas Citrus Punch Q + A’s
- Love Festive Mocktails? Try These Next!
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- The Best Christmas Citrus Punch
What You’ll Enjoy Most About The Best Christmas Citrus Punch
- It’s super easy to make.
- Refreshing, delicious, + a nice festive, Holiday feel.
- Only uses a handful of ingredients.
- All NATURAL + naturally sweetened.
- Bursting with a nice mix of sweet + tart.
- Ideal for serving at holiday gatherings
How to Make Christmas Citrus Punch
The heart of this Christmas punch is the blend of cranberry juice, orange juice, and the zesty kick of ginger ale, complemented by a few festive additions. Everything comes together in a bowl with plenty of ice. Then we let it sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to “marry” beautifully before serving!
Ingredients
To make your mocktail, you’ll use:
CHRISTMAS PUNCH:
- Cranberry juice. Unsweetened.
- Orange juice. You can use freshly-squeezed or store-bought.
- Lime zest.
- Soda. You can use lemon soda or ginger beer to finish off the mocktails with some bubbles. (I love to use Olipop)
- Star anise. Whole.
- Pomegranate. Just the seeds (arils).
- Fresh cranberries. Fresh cranberries give the best flavor.
- Orange. Sliced thin.
- Cinnamon sticks.
- Crushed ice or ice cubes. Use as much as you'd like depending on how cold you need the punch to be.
HOMEMADE SIMPLE SYRUP [OPTIONAL]:
- Water.
- Raw honey. find raw organic honey to have the best flavor. Nate's Organic is a great option! See Notes for other sweetener options. You can use maple or agave for a vegan option.
OPTIONAL GARNISH:
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
SHOP MY FAVORITE DRINKWARE ITEMS AND ACCESSORIES!
Here, I’ve curated a list of drinkware and mocktail essentials that I use to achieve my favorite drinking experiences, especially with this Christmas Citrus Punch. Everything from my fave glassware, cocktail shakers, ice cube trays, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Why Fresh Cranberries?
I'm sure you've noticed that cranberry juice is a staple in a lot of mocktail recipes, but for this one, I decided to use both cranberry juice and fresh cranberries. The juice brings a bold, classic flavor, while the fresh cranberries add a tart, refreshing twist that takes this holiday mocktail to a whole new level. It’s the perfect balance of authentic flavor and festive flair!
Spruce Up Your Mocktail with Fancy Ice Cubes
Of course, you can always use regular ice cubes, however, if you're looking to take things up a notch with your Chirstmas Punch, I recommend making some fancy ice cubes ---which are SUPER EASY! See my Orange Thyme Ice Cubes recipe! You literally stir together the ingredients, pour it in your favorite ice cube tray, set it and forget it for a minimum of 3-4 hours (or overnight) until ice cubes are formed.
Are Cranberries Good for You?
Did you know that cranberries are actually related to blueberries? Here are some fun facts:
- They’re packed with nutrients, including carbs + fiber.
- The carbs in cranberries are mostly simple sugars (with just 1 or 2 molecular structures).
- Cranberries are a great source of fiber, but eating too many can cause digestive issues like diarrhea.
- They’re rich in Vitamin C, Manganese (important for growth and metabolism), Vitamin E, Vitamin K1, and Copper.
Cranberries really are a powerhouse fruit!
Why Pomegranate Seeds?
OK, so when it comes to adding in these pomegranate seeds, it's definitely a no-brainer that these seeds are GORG! I mean, what can they not make look pretty? Haha.
More importantly, while they do make things pretty and festive, pomegranate seeds offer an amazing amount of benefits. The great thing about them is that you can either enjoy pomegranate seeds in their raw form as a nice snack or processed into pomegranate juice. Either way, the health benefits include:
- Great source of fiber, protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, + Potassium
- Extremely potent with antioxidants
- Anti-Inflammatory effects
- May help to Lower Blood Pressure
- May help to fight Joint Pain
- May help to lower your risk of Heart Disease + more!
What Other Ingredients Can I Add?
Honestly, you can choose to substitute oranges with mandarins, tangerines, or blood orange as opposed to using oranges. In addition, you can add herbs such as basil, mint, or rosemary to add an extra earthy flavor. Of course, you can always add strawberries to the mix for a nice twist as well.
Christmas Citrus Punch Q + A’s
You can store leftovers in a pitcher or large mason jar that's tightly sealed for 3-4 days. Be sure to omit the ginger ale and just top each drink when serving for optimal freshness.
Absolutely! Simply make part of the mocktail (minus the ginger beer) in a medium pitcher the day before, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. The best part about making these ahead of time is that they’ll be completely chilled once ready to serve.
If you'd like to add a bit of fun to this punch, feel free to add 1 ounce of rum, vodka, bourbon, etc.
To reduce the sweetness, you can cut back on the cranberry juice or use a less sweet soda. Adding a little extra lime juice can also help balance the flavors.
If you'd like to substitute the honey for the simple syrup, you can easily use organic brown sugar, organic cane sugar, or maple syrup, instead.
Love Festive Mocktails? Try These Next!
- Vegan Caramel Eggnog Mocktail
- Grapefruit Thyme Drink for the Holidays
- Gingerbread Eggnog Mocktail
- Jamaican Rum Cream
- Loaded Hibiscus Mocktail
- The Best White Russian Mocktail
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this The Best Christmas Citrus Punch recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. And don't forget to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea! I love hearing from you!
The Best Christmas Citrus Punch
Ingredients
CHRISTMAS PUNCH:
- 4 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1 cup orange juice (You can use freshly-squeezed or store-bought)
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 cups ginger ale or lemon soda (I love using Olipop for a healthy twist; See Notes for storage tips before adding)
- handful whole star anise
- 1 pomegranate, just the seeds (arils)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 orange, sliced thin
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- crushed ice or ice cubes (Use as much as you'd like depending on how cold you need the punch to be)
HOMEMADE SIMPLE SYRUP [OPTIONAL]:
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup organic raw honey (See Notes for other sweetener options)
OPTIONAL GARNISH:
- Fresh thyme sprigs
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SIMPLE SYRUP:
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add together all ingredients, stirring to combine and bring to a boil, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
TO MAKE THE CHRISTMAS PUNCH:
- In a bowl, add together the ice, cranberry juice, orange juice, ginger ale, lime zest, cinnamon sticks, star anise, pomegranate arils, orange slices, and cranberries, stirring until combined. Let everything site for a few minutes to "marry together" in flavor.
- To serve—scoop punch out into glassware (along with ice if preferred) for all servings and garnish with fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs for a bit of pizazz!
- Sip and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: You can store leftovers in a pitcher or large mason jar that's tightly sealed for 3-4 days. Be sure to omit the ginger ale and just top each drink when serving for optimal freshness.
- SERVING SIZE: To make additional punch, simply double or triple ingredients, depending on need.
- ALCOHOL: If you'd like to add a bit of fun to this punch, feel free to add 1 ounce of rum, vodka, bourbon, etc.
- SWEETENER: If you'd like to substitute the honey for the simple syrup, you can easily use organic brown sugar, organic cane sugar, or maple syrup, instead.
Nutrition
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