Cranberry Ginger Spritzer (easy holiday cocktail)

A Cranberry Spritzer is a perfect drink for a holiday gathering, New Year's Eve or whenever you want a fizzy drink without a load of calories. Perfect drink recipe for the holidays and a good cocktail any time of year.

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A wine spritzer blends wine with other flavors and usually seltzer water or sparkling water for a fizzy light classic cocktail. They an easy drink to make and are typically lower in calories.

We changed it up to add with our fun holiday cocktails. Using cranberry juice cocktail and light ginger beer (as in a Moscow Mule) makes a great drink perfect for a big holiday meal or party. You can make it in a single cocktail or in a pitcher. However you make it this holiday drink adds a touch of elegance to your celebrating.

What makes this skinny

• ​Wine cocktails tend to be lower calorie than those made with liquor. This cranberry spritzer uses flavors perfect for a holiday party in a festive drink with fewer calories. 
• Light ginger beer cuts the calories from using regular ginger beer or ginger ale. 
• The calories in regular Cranberry Juice Cocktail is about 30 for the amount used in this wine spritzer. We felt this was a reasonable amount of calories and did not require using an artificial sweetened diet option. However Diet Cranberry Juice Cocktail is 5 calories per 8 ounces and Cran50 is 50 calories per 8 ounces. If desired you could experiment with those options too to reduce the calories slightly.
• No extra sweeteners like simple syrup are used in the cocktail.

Recipe Ingredients Notes

• White wine. We recommend using Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay. Each cocktail will use 4 ounces. Start with chilled wine. 
• Light Ginger beer. This gives the cocktail a gingery flavor and some fizziness perfect for the holiday season. Using a light ginger beer helps keep the calories lower in this festive cocktail. Light ginger beer instead of regular ginger beer or ginger ale still give the ginger flavor. Our recommended brands below.
• Cranberry Juice. You'll use sweetened cranberry juice like Cranberry Juice Cocktail. Be sure not to use unsweetened cranberry juice which is very tart and required a sweetened to drink.
• Garnish options. Fresh cranberries float so can be fun to add to the cocktail for garnish. Lime wheels (slices), mint sprigs or a sprig of rosemary are great too.

Recommended Low Calorie Ginger Beers

To maintain the authentic taste of this cocktail while reducing calories, we opted for a ginger beer that boasts excellent flavor and is crafted using high-quality ingredients. We deliberately avoided sugar substitutes that might introduce an unusual taste.

We conducted extensive taste tests to arrive at our preferred choices, and we also found the information in this article useful. 

Here are our top selections when it comes to both ginger flavor and calorie content (none of them taste like diet beverages, by the way):

1. Reed's Craft Ginger Beer Zero Sugar Extra: Crafted with fresh ginger and a blend of sweeteners, including monk fruit and stevia leaf extract, this ginger beer delivers a robust ginger flavor without adding any calories. It contains 0 calories.
2. Fever-Tree Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer: Created with natural extracts and devoid of artificial sweeteners, this ginger beer offers a subtle effervescence. It contains 38 calories per 6.8-ounce bottle.
3. Q Light Ginger Beer: This ginger beer distinguishes itself with its unique ginger flavor, thanks to the use of agave and ginger extract. It contains 40 calories per 7.5-ounce can.

How to make single Cranberry Spritzers

Combine chilled white wine, cranberry juice cocktail and ginger beer over ice in a wine glass or glass of choice.

Garnish (optional) with cranberries or lime wheels.

How to make a pitcher

You'll use (start with all ingredients chilled): 

• 1 750-ml bottle of sauvignon blanc wine
• 12 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
• 12 ounces light ginger beer

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and serve over ice in glasses. 

Pro Tips

• Start with all ingredients chilled. This will slow the melting of the ice and provide best flavor. 
• Don't add ice to a pitcher. As ice melts it dilutes the cocktail. Instead pour the cocktail over ice in individual serving glasses.
• If making a pitcher ahead: add the ginger beer just before servings so it does not go flat. 

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Recipe

Cranberry Ginger Spritzers

Weight Watchers Points5

Click to track Weight Watchers Points

This light, sparkling wine spritzer has holiday flavors of cranberry and ginger. Perfect for lower calorie holiday celebrating or a refreshing summer spritzer too.

5 from 76 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cocktails

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Vegan

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 cocktail (see notes)

Calories: 122kcal

Author: Toni Dash

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Ingredients

Single Cocktail

• ▢ 4 ounces white wine (chilled) Sauvignon Blanc recommended; Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay can also be used
• ▢ 2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
• ▢ 2 ounces light ginger beer

Pitcher

• ▢ 1 750-ml bottle white wine (chilled) Sauvignon Blanc recommended
• ▢ 12 ounces cranberry juice cocktail
• ▢ 12 ounces light ginger beer

Instructions

Single Cocktail

• Combine all ingredients in a glass over ice. Garnish with fresh cranberries, lime wheel, rosemary sprig or mint sprig (optional).
  4 ounces white wine (chilled), 2 ounces cranberry juice cocktail, 2 ounces light ginger beer

Pitcher

• In a large pitcher combine the wine and cranberry juice cocktail. Add the light ginger beer just before serving.
  1 750-ml bottle white wine (chilled), 12 ounces cranberry juice cocktail, 12 ounces light ginger beer
• Serve in glasses over ice.

Notes

The calories are for one cocktail. If making a pitcher it would serve 6 (six cocktails).

Pro Tips

Start with all ingredients chilled. This will slow the melting of the ice and provide best flavor.

Don't add ice to a pitcher. As ice melts it dilutes the cocktail. Instead pour the cocktail over ice in individual serving glasses.

If making a pitcher ahead: add the ginger beer just before servings so it does not go flat. 

Cranberry Juice options. 

Regular cranberry juice cocktail (which we used) is 30 calories for 2 ounces. There are lower calories options (we have not tried) too. Diet Cranberry Juice Cocktail is 5 calories per 8 ounces (so would be 1-2 calories per cocktail in this recipe). Cran50 is 50 calories per 8 ounces (would be 13 calories for one cocktail).

Nutrition

Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 8mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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