Jazz up your next holiday party with this delicious cranberry St-Germain spritz. By adding just a splash of cranberry juice and seasonal garnishes, you can easily update the original cocktail for dinner parties, holiday happy hour or just a relaxing night at home.
A close cousin of the Aperol spritz, the St. Germain spritz uses the French elderflower liqueur along with prosecco and soda water. The liqueur is made with handpicked elderflower blossoms and has a light, fruity flavor with hints of pear and honeysuckle. The unique flavor is quite distinct. It is refreshing yet bold, and pairs well with a number of flavors including lemon or lime juice, or as I use in this perfect cocktail, cranberry juice! Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and my sugared cranberries, it’s the perfect winter sparkling white wine cocktail. Serve it alongside my elegant but easy Christmas charcuterie board and you’ll be the hostest with the mostest!
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Why you’ll love this festive drink
- Easy to assemble, using only 4 ingredients.
- Low ABV (alcohol by volume), so you can enjoy throughout the night without over-indulging.
- Can easily be made in large batches ahead of time, so you don’t have to play bartender throughout the night.
- Beautifully festive and flavorful!
Ingredients
- Prosecco – a sparkling wine produced in the Prosecco region of Italy. Prosecco is crisp and refreshing, and a bit more fruity than champagne, and pairs nicely with the St Germain.
- St Germain – A French liqueur made using elderflowers handpicked when in full bloom in early-late spring.
- Sparkling water – I love using Perrier or Pellegrino. Do not use tonic water.
- Pure cranberry juice – just a splash is all you need!
- Garnishes including sugared cranberries and a rosemary sprig
How to make the holiday St-Germain cocktail
Classic spritz prosecco cocktails ratio is 3-2-1. Three parts prosecco, 2 parts liqueur (Aperol, St-Germain, Lillet Blanc or Campari), and 1 part club soda. They are then garnished with a lime or lemon twist, fresh mint, cucumber slices or an orange wedge. These popular cocktails are loved around the world as light pre-dinner drinks and are one of the best things to enjoy on a hot day.
I personally think the 3-2-1 ratio makes the cocktail a little too strong and even a bit overpowering though, so I adjust the ratios to 3 parts prosecco, 1 part St. Germain and 1 part soda water. Then add a splash of cranberry juice to give the slightest hint of flavor and of course that beautiful ruby red color. But you play around with the ratio as you see fit.
To make a single cranberry St Germain spritz, pour 3 ounces of prosecco, 1 ounce each of St. Germain and sparkling water, and a splash of cranberry juice in a glass and stir well. Add in ice and top with sugared cranberries and a rosemary sprig. This amount should fit perfectly in a small 10 ounce Collins glass. I recently hosted a holiday girls gift exchange and served them in large wine glasses. I doubled the amount to 6 ounces prosecco, and 2 ounces each of St. Germain and water. Add in ice and the garnishes, and it was the most beautiful eye-catching drinks the ladies all LOVED.
FAQ’s
To make a batch for a standard size 80 ounce pitcher for a party, add 1 750 ml bottle of prosecco, ½ 375 ml bottle of St. Germain, and ½ bottle of a 750 ml bottle of Pellegrino. Finish it off with about ½ cup of cranberry juice. This works out to roughly 26 ounces of Prosecco, 13 ounces of sparkling water, about 7 ounces of St Germain and 4 ounces of cranberry juice, and will yield 5 10 ounce servings. You’ll notice that I used less St Germain in the big batch than I would for a single serving, and that’s because I like to start conservatively with the St Germain and adjust as needed, since not all guests may love the bold flavor.
Yes! It was created in 2006 by Robert Cooper, who sadly died a few years back at the young age of 39. He was a graduate of my alumni, UCSB and it appears we went to school there at the same time. Cause of death was never released
I hope you enjoy this low ABV cocktail and it becomes a favorite to make throughout the holiday season! Please consider leaving a comment and rating if you enjoyed it. Thank you!
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Cranberry St-Germain Spritz
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Prosecco
- 4 ounces St-Germain
- 4 ounces Pellegrino
- 2 tbsp cranberry juice
- Rosemary and cranberry garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a wine glass and stir well. Add ice and garnishes and serve
Jennifer says
This is delicious! I served this to friends and everyone loved it!
Lori says
These cocktails were the festive sparkler our book club needed! Not too sweet and I love St. Germain but had no idea about the backstory and how new it is! Thanks for such a great recipe!