Santa Clausmopolitan

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Cocktail History

The Santa Clausmopolitan is a Christmas cocktail that was created by Erin Wilson at the Session Cocktails location in Tuscaloosa, 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 fermented grains or potatoes and water, which are distilled and then filtered to develop a clean, neutral flavor.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup: This is a sweetener made with cranberry juice, mulling spices, orange zest, cinnamon, and white sugar, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a spiced, tart flavor.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid extracted from the flesh of ripe lemons that has a sweet, tangy flavor and light yellow color.

Demerara Syrup: This is a sweetener made with demerara sugar and water, which are heated and infused into a syrup with a sweet, caramelized flavor.

Orange Bitters: This is a concentrated flavoring made with orange peels, herbs, spices, botanicals, and distilled alcohol, which are macerated or steeped to develop a slightly bitter citrus flavor.

Rosemary: This is an aromatic evergreen herb with needle-like leaves and a robust, piney, and slightly peppery flavor.

Brands I Used

• 🔗 Smirnoff Vodka
• 🔗 Angostura Orange Bitters

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 and used for catching spills, providing grip for glasses and tools, and keeping the workspace clean and organized.

Jigger: This is a small double-sided tool with different volume measurements on each side that’s used for accurately portioning ingredients.

Boston Shaker: This is a two-piece cocktail shaker made with a large metal tin and a second tin or mixing glass that’s used for shaking and chilling cocktail ingredients.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is a flat metal strainer with a handle and a coiled spring around the edge that’s used for straining shaken cocktails from a shaker while holding back ice and solids.

Cutting Board: This is a flat, durable kitchen surface made from materials like wood or plastic that’s used for slicing ingredients and preparing garnishes.

Paring Knife: This is a small kitchen knife with a narrow, sharp blade that’s used for peeling fruit and trimming garnishes.

Electric Citrus Juicer: This is a kitchen appliance with a motorized reamer that’s used for quickly extracting juice from citrus fruits.

Fine Mesh Strainer: This is a mesh metal strainer with a tightly woven bowl and handle that’s used for straining out small ice shards and other solids while pouring cocktails from a shaker or mixing glass.

Measuring Cup: This is a kitchen tool with a handled cup and marked volume measurements that’s used for accurately measuring and pouring liquid ingredients.

Nick & Nora Glass: This is a small, stemmed glass with a round or square delicately curved bowl that’s used for serving stirred, spirit-forward cocktails in smaller portions.

Tools I Used

• 🔗 A Bar Above 18×12 Premium Bar Mat
• 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Japanese Jigger
• 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Boston Shaker
• 🔗 A Bar Above Stainless Steel Hawthorne Strainer
• 🔗 OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Cutting Board Set
• 🔗 OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife
• 🔗 BLACK+DECKER 32 oz Electric Citrus Juicer
• 🔗 Barfly Silver Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Cocktail Strainer
• 🔗 OXO Good Grips 2 Cup Angled Measuring Cup
• 🔗 History Company Nick & Nora Cocktail Glass Set

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 Take
“If cranberry sauce could turn itself into a cocktail, this would be it. The Santa Clausmopolitan leans fully into a sweet-tart cranberry flavor, with the homemade spiced syrup taking center stage. It’s festive, bold, and unapologetically holiday-forward—especially perfect for anyone who enjoys a sweeter, fruitier Christmas drink, while still being serious enough for experienced imbibers to enjoy one too. And honestly, any excuse to make a batch of its incredible spiced cranberry syrup is reason enough to try this one!”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was found in Garden & Gun magazine.