This pretty reddish pink and fruity flavored virgin cosmopolitan is the perfect drink to serve your next holiday get together. Don’t worry if you need a non-alcoholic beverage to serve up at your next party because this drink has you covered.
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🍸 What is a Virgin Cosmopolitan?
A virgin cosmopolitan is a combination of cranberry juice, lime juice, orange juice and seltzer water. It is served in a martini glass. It has a beautiful reddish pink color and is full of tart flavor from cranberry and a twist of lime.
A regular cosmopolitan built with vodka is a classic and popular drink. However, if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beverage, but still want some of the flash and class of the pretty pink drink in a martini glass then this virgin version is sure to fit the bill.
This drink will still give you the beautiful pink color, the tart cranberry flavor with the hint of citrus all without any alcohol. This drink is similar to a cranberry mocktail, but has no Sprite and does have orange juice.
It’s very easy to make mocktail versions of classic cocktails like this virgin strawberry margarita, this virgin bloody mary a virgin old fashioned or this Paloma mocktail simply by leaving the alcohol out and sometimes adding a little bit of club soda or seltzer water.
Here are a few reasons you must try this recipe:
- Perfect for holidays. The light pink color is well suited for winter holidays like Christmas or romantic celebrations like Valentine’s Day.
- It’s easy to make. You only need four simple ingredients for this one. And, you should be able to shake it up in 5 minutes or less.
- It’s a classic mocktail. This drink is a great non-alcoholic spin on a classic cocktail. It allows you to still enjoy all of the classic flavors, but without the alcohol added in.
⭐ When to Make This Drink
Not sure when to serve this one up? Try out a few of these occasions:
- Christmas parties
- Thanksgiving
- New Year’s Eve
- Valentine’s Day
📖 Variations
Looking to maintain a similar flavor, but need to substitute some ingredients or make a few variations? Give these a shot:
- Make it sweeter. Add .75 oz of simple syrup to sweeten this drink up a little. If you want to add a little extra flavor, you can use an orange simple syrup or a cranberry simple syrup.
- Add bitters. Add a few dashes of angostura or orange bitters to enhance the flavors of this drink.
- Take out the bubbles. Skip the seltzer water and instead use 1 and ½ oz of both orange and lime juice.
- Use flavored seltzer water. Add in an orange or lime flavored seltzer water for a little extra flavor addition.
- Rim your glass. Add a little dash of sweetness by running a lime wedge around the rim of the glass or simple syrup and then rolling the rim of the glass and granulated sugar.
🥄 Equipment
📋 Ingredients
- 3 oz Cranberry juice – Use a sugar-free, 100% cranberry juice not a cocktail. This way you’ll get a true tart cranberry flavor.
- .75 oz Lime juice – You can use either store-bought or squeeze your own. Home squeezed will tend to taste a little fresher.
- .75 oz Orange juice – here again you can squeeze your own or buy it at the store. Either way, make sure that it is pulp free so that you have a smooth beverage.
- 1.5 oz Seltzer water
- (optional garnish) Lime twist
- Ice
👩🏻🍳 Instructions
Step one
Start out by gathering everything up including Martini glass, Hawthorne strainer, cocktail shaker, jigger, orange juice, lime juice, cranberry juice, ice, seltzer water and lime twist if you want to add a garnish.
Step two
Go ahead and stick your martini glass into the freezer so that it has time to chill. Then, toss enough ice in your shaker to fill it up.
Step three
Measure 3 oz of cranberry juice with your jigger. Pour the juice into your shaker.
Note: If you don’t have a jigger to measure in ounces, you can measure in cups and tablespoons simply by following the amounts in the recipe card below.
Additionally, if you don’t have a cocktail shaker you can use any jar with a lid on it such as a mason jar.
Step four
Measure out 0.75 oz of orange juice with your jigger. Pour the orange juice into the shaker.
Step Five
Measure out 0.75 oz of lime juice with the jigger. Pour the lime juice into the shaker.
Step Six
Measure out 1.5 oz of seltzer water. Pour the seltzer water into the shaker.
Step Seven
Please the top on the shaker. Then, shake well until the shaker becomes cold on the outside. This usually takes around 15 to 20 seconds.
Note: Make sure not to shake the shaker to vigorously or the seltzer water will fizz up and pop.
Step Eight
Grab your martini glass out of the freezer. Then, take the cocktail shaker lid off and replace it with the Hawthorne strainer. Strain your drink from the shaker into the glass.
If you want to add a garnish now is the time to do so.
Cut a lime into wheels. Take one wheel and remove all of the pulp. Then, slice the lime peel so that it is a straight line.
Take your line of lime peel and wrap it around a cocktail pic. Hold for a few seconds and then remove. It should be a twist.
Recipe
Virgin Cosmopolitan
Equipment
- jigger
- cocktail shaker
- Hawthorne strainer
- Martini glass
Ingredients
- 3 oz Cranberry Juice
- .75 oz Lime Juice
- .75 oz Orange Juice
- 1.5 oz Seltzer Water
- Ice
- Lime Twist optional garnish
Instructions
- Place the martini glass in the freezer to chill.
- Toss ice into the shaker up to the top of the shaker.
- Use the jigger to measure 3 oz of cranberry juice. Toss that into the shaker.*see notes below if you don't have a shaker or if you need to measure with something other than a jigger.
- Use the jigger to measure .75 oz of lime juice. Toss that into the shaker.
- Use the jigger to measure .75 oz of orange juice juice. Toss that into the shaker.
- Use the jigger to measure 1.5 oz of seltzer water. Toss that into the shaker.
- Pop the top onto the shaker and shake it up.*don't be too vigorous with the shaking or the seltzer water will fizz up.
- Take the chilled martini glass out of the freezer.
- Pop the top off the shaker and pop the strainer over the shaker.
- Strain the drink into the martini glass.
- If you want to add an optional lime twist:1) Slice a lime into wheels.2) Take one wheel and cut the pulp away from the rind.3) Cut one spot on the rind so that it is a straight line.4) Remove any additional pulp left on the rind.5) Take a cocktail pick or other small round item and wrap the rind around it. Hold for a few seconds.6) Remove the lime rind and it should be slightly twisted.7)Place it on the rim of the glass.
Notes
- ⅓ cup cranberry juice
- 1.5 tbs lime juice
- 1.5 tbs orange juice
- 3 tbs seltzer water
- Don’t have a cocktail shaker? Use a mason jar or any other jar with a lid to shake this one up.
- Don’t have a martini glass? Any other glassware can work OK.
- Make it fresh by squeezing your own orange juice and lime juice.
- Substitute sparkling water or club soda for seltzer water.
Nutrition information provided is just an estimate and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
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