Poinsettia Spritz: The 3-Ingredient Christmas Cocktail That Looks Like Magic in a Glass

 

Let’s be honest: December is exhausting. Between the shopping, the wrapping, the cooking, the cleaning, the endless entertaining, the last thing you need is a complicated holiday cocktail that requires 17 ingredients and a chemistry degree.

Enter the Poinsettia Spritz: three ingredients, ten seconds, and such a gorgeous, seasonal color. I served this at a Christmas ladies luncheon that I hosted not too long ago, and everyone loved it. With the bright cranberry red at the bottom, fading into a soft rosy blush at the top, finished with a rosemary sprig that looks exactly like a tiny Christmas tree. It is so pretty, and there’s absolutely nothing to it.

This seasonal wonder tastes light, bright, and just festive enough without being cloying. It’s about the same strength as a glass of wine so everyone can have two and still drive home. It is one of the easiest cocktails to put together. It, seriously, took me longer to open the bottle of Prosecco than it did to assemble the cocktail. Read to the bottom of this post for a non-alcoholic version of this that looks just as pretty and tastes equally good.

Poinsettia Spritz Cocktail
(Makes 1 stunning cocktail)

    ½ oz. (1 T.) cranberry juice
½ oz. (1 T.) Grand Marnier
3–4 oz. chilled Prosecco or any dry sparkling wine
Garnish: 2–3 fresh cranberries + a small fresh rosemary sprig

  Pour the cranberry juice and Grand Marnier into a champagne flute.  Slowly top with chilled Prosecco (tilt the glass and pour down the side for the prettiest ombre layers). Give one gentle stir with a spoon or swizzle stick. Drop in the cranberries and perch the rosemary sprig on the rim or let it float like a festive little raft. 

 Be sure to chill everything beforehand; warm Prosecco is a crime against humanity and also ruins the color gradient.

Zero-Proof Version (Still Gorgeous)
Swap the Prosecco for sparkling white grape juice, lemon-lime soda, or a non-alcoholic sparkling wine. Same red-to-pink magic, same rosemary garnish, zero hangover. Kids and designated drivers will fight over these.

 Set Up a Poinsettia Bar
Put out: 
- An ice bucket with mini Prosecco bottles (the 187 ml ones are perfect)
- A small pitcher of cranberry juice
- A tiny bottle of Grand Marnier with a pour spout 
- A bowl of fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs 

Guests assemble their own drinks, you get to sit on the couch pretending you’re “just checking the oven,” and everyone thinks you’re a holiday entertaining genius.

If your Christmas spirit animal is “looks expensive but is secretly cheap and easy,” this drink was made for you. Make it once and I promise it will become your signature move every December until the end of time.

 Cheers to surviving the holidays in style — one ruby-red bubble at a time.

 Save this recipe, screenshot it, tattoo it on your forearm if you have to. You’re going to need it all month long.

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