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Cocktail History
The Santa Clausmopolitan is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Erin Wilson at Session Cocktails in Auburn, Alabama and was first published in Garden & Gun, a magazine focused on celebrating Southern culture. This holiday-inspired recipe keeps vodka as the base spirit but introduces a cozy twist with cranberry and brown sugar syrup, which adds depth and warmth to the fruity template. Lemon juice also replaces the traditional lime for a brighter, more seasonal citrus note, while a dash of citrus bitters ties everything together for balance. The result is a cheerful, flavorful drink that’s perfect for holiday celebrations, offering a fresh, Southern-inspired spin on a modern classic.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Vodka: This is a spirit made with grains, vegetables or fruits, alcohol, and water. I used Smirnoff Vodka.
Spiced Cranberry Syrup: This is a sweetener made with cranberries, baking spices, white sugar, and water.
Lemon Juice: This is the tart, acidic liquid extracted from lemons. I used fresh lemon juice.
Demerara Syrup: This is a sweetener made with demerara sugar and water. I used this stovetop recipe.
Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Orange Bitters.
Rosemary: This is an aromatic evergreen herb with needle-like leaves and a robust, piney, and slightly peppery flavor.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Bar Mat: This is a rubber or silicone mat that’s placed on the bar surface to catch spills, provide grip for glasses and tools, and keep the workspace clean and organized. I used the Highball & Chaser 18×12 Bar Mat.
Jigger: This is a small, double-sided measuring tool that’s used to accurately portion spirits and mixers, typically with one side measuring 1 oz and the other 1.5 or 2 oz. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Boston Shaker: This is a two-piece cocktail shaker consisting of a metal tin and a glass or metal mixing glass that’s used for shaking and blending ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is a metal strainer with a spring around its edge that’s used to filter out ice and solids when pouring the cocktail into a glass. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is a small, sharp kitchen knife with a narrow blade that’s used for peeling, trimming, and garnishing. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is a handheld tool that’s used to extract juice from fruits by pressing or twisting it against a reamer or cone. I used the Black+Decker 32 oz Electric Citrus Juicer.
Nick & Nora Glass: This is a small, stemmed glass with a gently curved bowl that used for serving cocktails with smaller portions. I used the History Company Nick & Nora 1934 New York Cocktail Coupe.
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Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Deep red-pink hue
• Aroma: Woodsy rosemary, citrus, and berry
• Taste: A candy-sweet flavor featuring spice-filled cranberry
• Finish: Cranberry tartness with hints of orange
Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kendall’s Take: “I can’t think of a drink format that serves as a better interpretation of cranberry sauce than this recipe. My former partner found it to be too sweet and just not complex enough for his palate, but I really enjoyed the Santa Clausmopolitan. Yes, it’s sweet and mostly tastes like the spiced cranberry syrup; I think that’s the entire point though. Anyone who likes a sweeter cranberry drink will love this holiday variation too. And it’s 100% worth making a batch of the spiced cranberry syrup so you can try it at home. So yummy!”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Garden & Gun, a national magazine celebrating Southern culture.
Santa Clausmopolitan
The Santa Clausmopolitan is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Erin Wilson at Session Cocktails in Auburn, Alabama and was first published in Garden & Gun, a national magazine focused on the South. The recipe is a simple holiday-inspired variation of the original Cosmopolitan that also calls for vodka as the base spirit, but it swaps out the remaining ingredients for cranberry and brown sugar syrup, lemon juice instead of lime, and citrus bitters for balance.
Ingredients
Method
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Add vodka, spiced cranberry syrup, lemon juice, demarara syrup, bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a cocktail glass.
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Garnish with rosemary sprig.
