The Best Poinsettia Cocktail Recipe

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Even if you're the next Martha Stewart (or at least know some of Martha's best holiday hosting tips), it can be daunting to plan a holiday menu for a crowd. Between crafting the perfect entree, arranging the most tasty sides, and even planning an impressive set of hors d'oeuvres, every detail has to be considered. Perhaps the easiest place to start, then, is with the cocktails, which can enrich any food you add to the table. A great aperitif sets the tone for the evening, even more than any bite-sized puff pastry or delectable dip.

Whether you're planning to host holiday dinner or a bright-and-early Christmas brunch, there's an easy and impressive cocktail that can make any gathering a breeze. The poinsettia cocktail is a red-toned version of a mimosa that is altogether tart, citrusy, sweet, and bubbly. This version, as developed by Michelle McGlinn, layers the flavors of pomegranate, cranberry, and citrus with ginger beer and Prosecco for a cocktail that is balanced with sweet and spicy flavor. A drink that will make hosting effortless at any time of the day, the poinsettia is the effervescent sidekick for all your holiday hosting needs.

What gives the poinsettia its stunning color is the cranberry-pomegranate juice, which can be bought as a combination or mixed separately as pomegranate and cranberry juices. If combining the two individual juices, use 2 ounces of each juice in each cocktail. From there, you just need Cointreau (or triple sec), ginger beer, and Prosecco. For garnishing, we recommend making sugared rosemary for a snowy-tree effect, which only requires simple syrup, rosemary, and granulated sugar. Then, as an added garnish, grab some fresh cranberries to add on top.

Add simple syrup to a small bowl or plate and coat rosemary on all sides.

Place rosemary on a plate and let set for 20-25 minutes, until tacky.

Add sugar to a small bowl or plate and press rosemary into the sugar gently to coat.

To make the cocktail, add the juice and Cointreau to a Champagne flute.

Top with ginger beer and Prosecco.

Garnish with cranberries and the sugared rosemary sprig to serve.

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Sugared rosemary is made by adhering granulated sugar to the tacky leaves of rosemary, which only works if the leaves are sticky, not wet. To accomplish this, the leaves have to be nearly dried after being coated, which can take up to an hour. If you have dipped the rosemary into the simple syrup, shake the rosemary to remove excess, then place on the plate to dry as much as possible before coating in sugar. You can even do this several hours in advance, as long as the rosemary stays tacky enough to adhere to the sugar.

To avoid any delays once the party gets going, prepare the sugared rosemary in advance and store in a paper-towel lined airtight container. Once sugared, the rosemary will remain ready to use for several days. Since there is no way to shorten the process, we recommend making the garnishes in advance, or simply using rosemary without the sugar, if in a pinch.

It's unlikely that you'd ever be making just one poinsettia cocktail at a time (but if you do, you should buy a miniature bottle of Prosecco to avoid waste). More likely, you'll open a full bottle of Prosecco and a ginger beer to split into several cocktails. In that case, the easiest way to pour several cocktails is to batch the juices with the Cointreau — ½ ounce of Cointreau to every 4 ounces of juice — and fill half of each glass with the mixture. Then, when ready to serve, you'll pour the ginger beer and Prosecco into each glass to fill. With this method, plan to make several rosemary sprigs ahead of time for garnishing; you won't need any extra syrup or sugar, just more rosemary.

You can also serve this drink as a punch. Making a Prosecco punch is a popular option for large holiday gatherings where the guests may prefer to serve themselves rather than wait in a queue for each drink. To do this, plan to use an entire bottle of Prosecco, which is just over 24 ounces. Multiply the remaining measurements by 12 to match; 48 ounces (or 6 cups) of cranberry-pomegranate juice, 6 ounces (or ¾ cups) of Cointreau, and 12 ounces (or 1 ½ cups) ginger beer. Add cranberries to float on top, and you have a deliciously easy cocktail batched into 12 servings in no time.

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