Looking for a festive holiday drink that will be fun for the whole family?  Try this candy cane mocktail and your little guests won’t be disappointed.

What’s in a candy cane mocktail?

• 100% cranberry juice
• Strawberry simple syrup
• Cranberry Sprite
• Sparkling mineral water
• Grenadine
• Angostura bitters

What kind of sugar do you use to rim a glass?

• Plain white granulated sugar
• Caster sugar
• Sanding sugar (coarse crystals)
• Demerara sugar

How do you make colored sugar for glass rims?

• Food processor: add drops of food coloring to the granulated sugar.  Pulse until well mixed.
• In a plastic bag: add sugar and a few drops of food coloring.  Seal bag and shake.
• In a jar: add sugar and a few drops of food coloring.  Tighten lid.  Shake.
• On a plate: add sugar and a few drops of food coloring.  Rub between your hands.

How to Make Candy Cane Mocktail

Start by gathering the ingredients for the strawberry simple syrup.

Dissolve the sugar in the water, stirring constantly over medium high heat.  Reduce the heat and add the strawberries and vanilla extract, then simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to infuse for two hours.

While the syrup is infusing, garnish the drink.  Dip the rim in lemon juice, then in colored sugar.

Gather the ingredients for the drink.  Below is what’s needed to make one serving.

To build this in the glass, start off with the cranberry juice.

Add the strawberry simple syrup.

Add in another red ingredient by pouring in the grenadine.

Next comes the cranberry Sprite.  If you can’t find this, substitute with plain Sprite.

Add the sparkling mineral water and top it off with the Angostura bitters.

Gently stir with a long handled spoon.

Garnish will a mini candy cane.  The kids will love that!

Make Ahead Tips for Entertaining

• Make the strawberry simple syrup up to two weeks ahead of time and store in fridge.
• Decorate the rims of the glasses at one time.  You can do this up to two hours in advance.
• Mix up a pitcher full of the drink and chill it in the fridge.  Add the sparkling mineral water and Sprite just before serving.
• Quadruple the recipe and serve it in a punch bowl for your next holiday party.

These other sparkly drinks will be crowd-pleasing favorites this Christmas.

• Sparkling Apple Cider Mocktail: a simple, fun drink with lots of sparkly fizz.
• Non Alcoholic Strawberry Citrus Blush: a fruity, citrusy drink that’s easy to make ahead.
• Sparkling Cranberry Mocktail: this simple and delicious drink that everyone loves.

Did you make this candy cane mocktail?  Please leave a star rating below to share how you enjoyed it.

Candy Cane Mocktail

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• Author: Brooke
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes
• Total Time: 18 minutes
• Yield: 32 ounces 1x

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Description

Candy cane mocktail is a fun nonalcoholic recipe that’s perfect for kids and families during the holidays.  This fun drink is made with an infused strawberry simple syrup.  It’s sparkling, festive, and best of all—low calorie!  Make up a big pitcher for a crowd at your next Christmas party; your friends will love it.

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Ingredients

For the Strawberry Simple Syrup

• 1 cup granulated sugar (198g)
• 1 cup water (236 ml)
• 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced (fresh or frozen) (58g)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Rim & Garnish

• 1/3 cup concentrated lemon juice (78 ml)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (66g)
• few drops of red food coloring
• 4 mini candy canes (one for each glass)

For the Drink

• 1 cup 100% cranberry juice, chilled (236 ml)
• 1 cup strawberry simple syrup, chilled (236 ml)
• 1 cup sparkling water, chilled (236 ml)
• 1 1/3 cup cranberry Sprite, chilled (315 ml)
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons grenadine (40 ml)
• 1 teaspoon Angostura bitters (5 ml)

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Instructions

Making the Strawberry Simple Syrup

1. Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring constantly until it is dissolved.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the strawberries and the vanilla.  Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.  Let the strawberries infuse in the simple syrup for a minimum of 2 hours to achieve maximum flavor, then strain out the strawberries and pour the syrup into an airtight mason jar.  It can keep in the fridge for two weeks.

Decorating the Rim

1. Pour the lemon juice and sugar into two separate, shallow bowls.  Add a few drops of red food coloring to the sugar and mix it together by rubbing the sugar between your hands.
2. Dip the rim of the glass in the lemon juice, then swirl it in the colored sugar.

Making the Drink

1. Mix the cranberry juice, strawberry simple syrup, sparkling water, cranberry Sprite, grenadine, and Angostura bitters in a large pitcher.  Pour into the prepared glasses and garnish with a mini candy cane.  Serve cold.
2. For an individual serving, pour 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cranberry juice, 1/4 cup strawberry simple syrup, 1/3 cup cranberry Sprite, 1/4 cup sparkling water, 2 teaspoons Grenadine, and 1/8 teaspoon Angostura bitters into a glass.  Stir until blended.  Garnish with a mini candy cane.  Serve cold.

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• Category: Beverage
• Method: Chilled
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: easy, Christmas, non alcoholic