Naughty Elf Cocktail – A Christmas Rum Cocktail for the Holidays!
Home » COOK » Recipes » Beverages » Cocktails »This Naughty Elf Cocktail is perfect for all of your festive soirees! Santa may even appreciate a glass of it with a cookie!
It’s a naughty concoction of fruit juice, fruit liqueurs, and spiced rum, and is sure to be a hit with everyone who takes a sip!
Serve it at parties, as your signature Christmas cocktail, or just make a glassful to enjoy while trimming the tree.
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Naughty Elf Cocktail
This cocktail has a fruity yet totally festive taste to it!
It combines cranberry juice, red (or pink) grapefruit juice, fruity liqueurs (pomegranate and orange), and spiced rum. It’s topped with Sprite (or any other lemon-lime soda) and finished with a candy cane garnish!
You can also rim the glass with red, green, and white sprinkles for an extra Christmas touch!
Check out our list of amazing Christmas Cocktail Recipes to get you in the spirit!
Decorating the Glass
Before mixing up your cocktail, you must decorate your glass(es) with holiday sprinkles. This is optional, but it makes the drink look extra special!
To add sprinkles to the rim of your glass, you need corn syrup first so the sprinkles have something to stick to.
Pour some sprinkles onto a small plate and corn syrup onto another plate.
Dip the glass rim into the syrup first and allow any excess to drip off, then dip the glass into the sprinkles, and that’s it!
More Festive Cocktails To Make
Need some more cocktails to shake up? Check out these great seasonal party cocktails:
- How To Make A Snowball (And Other Christmas Cocktails!)
- Rudolph the Reindeer Spritzer with Bacardi & Ginger Ale
- Refreshing Peppermint Martini Cocktail with Crushed Candy Cane Rim
- Cranberry Moscow Mule Cocktail for the Holidays
- Festive Cranberry Margaritas for Christmas Cocktail Parties!
- Cinnamon and Cumin-Infused Cranberry Vodka Spritzer Cocktail
- Christmas Gin Cocktail with Cherries and Mint
- Frosty the Snowman -Peppermint Schnapps Cocktail
- Reindeer Cocktail – Vodka Cranberry Spritzer
- Christmas Margaritas | A Festive Twist On Classic Margaritas!
Naughty Elf Cocktail Variations
Good Elf (Mocktail)
So that non-drinkers and kids can enjoy a glass of this festive beverage, just leave out the booze – simple.
You can replace the alcohol with flavored syrups more suited to the adult palate or with fruit juices.
Monin has a Caribbean Syrup described as “Nose of Caribbean rum aged in oak barrel; sweet rum taste with notes of fruits and vanilla … will convert rum-based alcoholic cocktails to their non-alcoholic versions without losing the rum aroma“. If you can’t find this syrup, try Cinnamon Syrup.
For adults: Shake together 2 oz cranberry juice and 1 oz each of red grapefruit juice, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and Caribbean syrup with ice and pour into a glass. Top up with Sprite, and garnish with a candy cane.
If making the mocktail for kids, leave out the syrup.
Virgin Naughty Elf with Non-Alcoholic Spirits
For adults who would still like to enjoy the taste of alcohol in their mocktail, you could try non-alcoholic 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.
- Follow the recipe card, and instead of spiced rum, use Lyre’s Spiced Cane Spirit.
Frozen Elf
Let’s freeze this naughty elf! 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! Leave out the alcohol for non-drinkers and kids.
Naughty Elf Party Punch
If you want to make this drink for a crowd, you can easily make a large batch of the cocktail!
If you use the same measuring container (glass, cup, jug, etc.) for the “1 part”, the ratios will be correct, and you can make as much as you need to.
Serve in drinks dispensers, pitchers, or go retro and serve it from a punch bowl!
To make a batch of Naughty Elf party punch, stir the following ingredients together:
- 2 parts cranberry juice
- 1 part red grapefruit juice
- 1 part pomegranate liqueur
- 1 part orange liqueur
- 1 part spiced rum
Transfer to your serving container of choice and top with Sprite.
Add plenty of ice to your serving container to keep the cocktail chilled.
You could also prepare glasses with Christmas sprinkles or leave some corn syrup and sprinkles in separate shallow bowls for guests to rim their glasses. Remember to add a bowl of candy canes for garnish, too!
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.
Naughty Elf Cocktail
The Naughty Elf Cocktail is perfect for all your festive soirees! It's a naughty concoction of fruit juice, fruit liqueurs, & spiced rum!
Ingredients
- 2 oz cranberry juice
- 1 oz red grapefruit juice
- 1 oz pomegranate liqueur
- 1 oz orange liqueur
- 1 oz spiced rum
- Sprite
- Ice cubes
- Light corn syrup, for glass rim, optional
- Red, white, and green sprinkles, for glass rim, optional
- Candy canes, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- To add sprinkles to the rim of the glass, pour a little corn syrup onto a small plate, and the sprinkles onto another.
- Dip the glass into the syrup and lift straight up. Allow excess to drip off then dip into the sprinkles.
- Set aside while you make the cocktail.
- Place the fruit juices, liqueurs, and rum into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until combined.
- Pour into a glass filled with ice and top up with Sprite.
- Garnish with a candy cane.
Notes
To make a big batch of this cocktail, as long as you use the same size measure for 1 part, the ratios will be correct. Stir together the following ingredients and top up with Sprite.
- 2 parts cranberry juice
- 1 part red grapefruit juice
- 1 part Pomegranate Liquor
- 1 part Orange Liquor
- 1 part Spiced rum
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2454Total Fat: 53gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 46gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 298mgCarbohydrates: 480gFiber: 0gSugar: 434gProtein: 0g
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.
Recipes to 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!
- Main Dish: Christmas Pulled Pork
- Side Dish: Winter Slaw
- Side Dish: Hasselback Potatoes
- Dessert: Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge
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.