This sugared cranberry and sage spritzer is just the drink to have you feeling jolly and spirited for the holidays. Not only is it gorgeous and festive, it’s incredibly easy to assemble.

Happy belated Hanukkah and Merry belated Christmas.

Sometimes around the holidays, I find myself carefully tiptoeing around that dreaded comparison trap.

It’s not really about stuff.

I have plenty of stuff—too much of it actually. It’s more about experiences. And the things I “produce.”

I had so many grand intentions of sharing holiday-themed recipes leading up to Christmas, but time just got the best of me. And that’s 100% ok.

Sure, I wanted to share this Christmas-y cocktail with you guys early in December, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

You know what was in the cards?

Wearing our matching PJs to view the Christmas lights in Midtown. Baking sugar cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. Reading “Eight Jolly Reindeer” and “The Night Before Christmas” together on the couch, staring at our beautiful tree. Visiting one of my favorite places, Bellingrath Gardens, for the lights display. And having the most magical Christmas morning together as a family of three.

Now that we have our sweet Bazooka, we are making new family memories that I know will be an important part of our lives for years to come.

So what if this cocktail has become a New Year’s Eve drink instead of a Christmas one? There are plenty of holiday recipes on the web from people who do this for a living.

And, so, I’m learning that living is less about what I produce, and more about the little moments. I don’t regret one second spent with my family instead of this computer—and you still get this sparkling sugared cranberry and sage spritzer.

I am not generally a cocktail or mixed drink person (wine and beer for me!), but with a bag of cranberries in my freezer and an abundance of sage (from that one soup recipe that literally called for 2 leaves!), I thought, “why not?”

Cranberries and sage scream “holiday” to me, and while they’re not your typical cocktail combination, they pair really well with vodka, white cranberry juice, and seltzer.

Whether you’re hosting the season’s most anticipated New Year’s Eve party or simply sipping drinks with your sweetie while cuddling on the couch viewing Christmas Vacation for the 300^th time, this holiday spritzer is the perfect companion.

Sugared Cranberry and Sage Spritzer

For the sugared sage and cranberries

Ingredients

6 sage leaves
¼ cup fresh cranberries
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup granulated sugar

Directions

Coat sage and cranberries in maple syrup
Toss and coat in granulated sugar (add more if needed)
Allow to dry & set aside

For the spritzer

Ingredients

3 oz vodka
3 oz white cranberry juice
seltzer
ice

Directions

Muddle 1 sugared sage leaf and a couple sugared cranberries in the bottom of 2 rocks glasses
Add ice, 1.5 oz vodka, and 1.5 oz white cranberry juice to each glass
Top off with seltzer and gently stir to mix
Garnish with sugared sage leaves and sugared cranberries

Isn’t this simply beautiful?

The sugared cranberries look like jewels, and I love how unexpected the flavor of sage is in a cocktail. It’s not overpowering at all, but it adds a little holiday warmth and color.

A gorgeous sugared cranberry and sage spritzer for the #holidays Share on X