Kick off the holiday season in style with this Holly Jolly Christmas cocktail recipe. Made with orange vodka, elderflower liqueur, blood orange juice, and ginger beer, this delicious cocktail is as refreshing as it is festive.

A board with a glass filled with the red drink with arils, rosemary, and thyme in it

I love holiday cocktails not only because they are usually beautiful, but also because they are delicious and will please the most picky guest.

This holiday cocktail fits all the above claims. The gorgeous holly jolly Christmas citrus cocktail is tasty because the ingredients meld so well together, and adding a splash of fizzy ginger beer takes it to a different level.

I can’t wait for you to try it.

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Helpful tips

Nothing says “holiday drink” like using a nice sprig of rosemary as garnish.
I also like to garnish this cocktail with pomegranate arils, so I bought the packaged seeds at Trader Joe’s for convenience. You can also get a fresh pomegranate and remove the seeds yourself.
Fresh thyme is also one of my go-to cocktail garnishes. I’m a fan of lots of sprigs, but you don’t have to use as many as I did.
Even though the holly jolly cocktail doesn’t have cranberry juice in it, spearing some cranberries on a martini pick and balancing them on the rim of the glass is also a nice choice of garnish.
I love to use big ice cubes in this cocktail as they take longer to melt. Here is the tray I use.
I use St. Germain in this cocktail, but you can use any elderflower liquor.
If you can’t find blood orange juice, you can squeeze your own. I get this freshly squeezed juice at Whole Foods.
As alternatives to blood orange juice, you could also substitute store bought orange juice, clementine juice, or any freshly squeezed citrus juice.
I use homemade orange infused vodka since it is so easy to make. If you don’t have time to make your own, it’s perfectly fine to use store bought. I’m not a fan of artificially flavored alcohol because I don’t know the ingredients.
You will be adding all the ingredients EXCEPT the ginger beer to the cocktail shaker. The beer will be added after you divide the liquid between the glasses.

How to make the holly jolly Christmas cocktail

Pre-step

Get a cocktail shaker and fill it halfway with ice. Get a measuring glass, 2 double old fashioned glasses, and for garnish – pomegranate arils, fresh rosemary sprigs, and fresh thyme sprigs.

After measuring out the ingredients, add them to the cocktail shaker.

Step one

Gather the ingredients – fresh blood orange juice, orange vodka, elderflower liqueur, and bubbly ginger beer.

Blood orange juice, orange vodka, elderberry liqueur and ginger beer

Step two

Measure 4 ounces of orange vodka. (A)

Step three

Measure 2 ounces of elderflower liqueur. (B)

Orange vodka and elderberry liqueur measured out

Step four

Measure 4 ounces of blood orange juice. (C)

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Look at that color.

Step five

Using a kitchen spoon, add 1 – 2 teaspoons of pomegranate arils to each cocktail glass. (D)

Blood orange juice measured out and two glasses with arils in them and the cocktail shaker in the back

Step six

Cap the shaker and vigorously shake for at least 15 seconds. Add fresh ice cubes to the glasses and divide, strain, and pour the liquid between both glasses.

Make sure there is a 1/2 inch to 1 inch space between the liquid and the top of the glass.

The holiday cocktail poured into the two glasses with ginger beer in the back

Pour and top off both glasses with the ginger beer. Add a sprig of thyme and rosemary to the glasses. (As you can see, I might have gone overboard – hehe!)

Doesn’t that look delicious?

Vertical view of a double old fashioned glass filled with the red drink with thyme and rosemary in it

Let’s look closer at this awesome holiday drink!

Close up of the red cocktail in a glass with fresh thyme and rosemary

Yum!

I hope you enjoyed this holly jolly Christmas cocktail. It’s so good!

Other popular holiday drinks

And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish.

If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!