Christmas Gin Cocktail with Cherries and Mint
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This Christmas Gin Cocktail is fruity and refreshing and made with cherries and mint.
A touch of honey adds the right amount of sweetness to balance out the more tart flavors, while fresh mint adds a bright note to bring it all together.
It’s sure to be a winner this holiday season!
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Christmas Gin Cocktail
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required as well as understand the steps and timings involved.
This festive cocktail made with gin starts life with cherry and mint syrup that is made very simply using fresh or frozen cherries, honey, water, lime juice, and mint leaves.
The syrup is quick to make – just 5 minutes, and with 10-15 minutes to cool down to room temperature before using.
However, you could make it in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days and use it as needed in your Christmas gin cocktail!
To make your drink it is as simple as mixing together cherry syrup, gin, and club soda to create a fruity and refreshing holiday beverage!
Make sure you check out our list of amazing Christmas Cocktail Recipes to get you in the spirit! Right-click and open a new tab to read next.
Ingredients Used In This Cocktail
For your convenience, I’ve linked any specialized ingredients needed for this recipe to Amazon below.
- Cherries – fresh or frozen.
- Honey – use locally produced honey if possible.
- Fresh Lime Juice
- Fresh Mint Leaves – goes into the cocktail as well as being a garnish.
- Club Soda – you could also use sparkling water, tonic water, or fizzy lemonade in this drink.
- Gin – use your preferred brand; and if you can source it where you live, why not try cherry gin?
More Cocktails To Make
Want to make more cocktails? I think you’re going to love these ones:
Christmas Gin Cocktail Variations
I like to try and give variations on the cocktails shared on The Purple Pumpkin Blog, and especially turning the cocktail into a mocktail so that non-drinkers (and kids if suitable) can enjoy the drink too!
Virgin Christmas Cherry Mocktail (non-alcoholic)
So that non-drinkers can enjoy a glass of this festive beverage, you just leave out the gin!
Make the syrup as in the recipe card and top it up with club soda, tonic water, fizzy lemonade, or sparkling water.
For adults who would still like to enjoy the taste of alcohol in their mocktail, you could try non-alcoholic gin alternatives. In the UK, try Lyre’s, which is also available on Amazon in the UK and Amazon.com. There are other brands, but this one was more widely available.
Lyre’s has two kinds of gin substitutes:
Frozen Christmas Gin Cocktail
Want to turn this Christmas cocktail into a frozen slushie? Easy! Put all the ingredients in a blender with a generous amount of crushed ice – then blend till smooth. Serve with a straw, and watch out for brain freeze! You could do the same with the mocktail version too.
Other Cherry Cocktail Ideas
You could substitute the gin in this Christmas cherry cocktail with the following liquors:
- Vodka
- White Rum
- Bourbon
- Brandy
- Dark Rum
- Cointreau
Christmas Gin Party Punch
Want to make this gin cocktail for a crowd? It’s so easy – just multiply the recipe as many times as you need to.
The recipe makes enough for 4 drinks, so for example, with 24 guests at your gathering, multiply each ingredient by 5 to make 24 servings.
Serve the large batch cocktail in drinks dispensers, or pitchers, or go really retro and serve it from a punch bowl!
Make sure you add plenty of ice to your serving container of choice to keep the cocktail chilled. You could add fresh cherries in there too if you like.
Don’t forget some fresh mint sprigs for guests to garnish their drinks.
When setting up your bar serving area, you could include:
- Ice Bucket (filled with ice!)
- Cocktail Glasses
- Festive Cocktail Napkins
- Cocktail Swizzle Sticks/Stirrers
- Cocktail Picks
- Cocktail Straws
This cocktail recipe is intended for adults of the legal drinking age in your country of residence.
Please drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive.
How Do I Make a Christmas Gin Cocktail?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, any pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Christmas Gin Cocktail with Cherries & Mint
This Christmas Gin Cocktail is fruity and refreshing and made with cherries and mint.
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, washed, patted dry, and torn
- 2 cups club soda
- 4 oz gin
Optional Garnish
- Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Place the cherries, honey, and water in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture is warmed through and bubbly and the cherries release their juices.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the cherry mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a pitcher and let cool at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Add lime juice and mint leaves and stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To serve, fill four serving glasses with ice and add ¼ cup cherry mixture, ½ cup club soda, and 1oz gin to each glass.
- Stir gently to combine and serve immediately, with mint leaves for garnish if using. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Notes
Alternatively, combine the cherry mixture, soda, and gin in a pitcher and pour to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 1g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
The beverage is covered, but what about other dishes to make this recipe into a full meal? Here are my suggestions!
- Appetizer: Gluten-Free Baked Coconut Shrimp with Avocado-Lime Dip
- Main Dish: Sheet Pan Roasted Rosemary Lemon Chicken Recipe
- Side Dish: Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Casserole with Bacon
- Dessert: Decadent Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.