6 Prosecco Cocktails for Christmas Gatherings

6 Easy Prosecco Cocktails for Christmas

The nicest Christmas drinks are the ones you can pour while you are still enjoying the party. These six cocktails are built right in the glass, with chilled Prosecco and no shaker needed.

Want to try all six? One standard 750 ml bottle supplies enough Prosecco for one of each. You will still need the different juices, liqueurs and garnishes in the recipes, so there is no need to make the full set if one or two favourites suit your gathering better.

Not sure which one to pour? Here is the quick flavour guide:

• Bright and fruity: Cranberry Orange Poinsettia
• Citrusy and bittersweet: Blood Orange Christmas Spritz
• Cosy and gently spiced: Spiced Apple Prosecco Fizz
• Fresh with a little ginger: Pomegranate Ginger Sparkler
• Bold, bitter and smaller: Negroni Sbagliato
• Lemony and softly herbal: Limoncello Rosemary Spritz

1. Cranberry Orange Poinsettia

Bright cranberry, a hint of orange and cold Prosecco make a beautifully simple Christmas welcome drink. The orange liqueur gives this a little more depth than a two-ingredient cranberry Mimosa.

Ingredients — serves 1

• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled Brut Prosecco
• 45 ml (1.5 oz) chilled sweetened cranberry juice drink
• 15 ml (0.5 oz) orange liqueur, such as Cointreau or triple sec
• Orange twist and 2 fresh cranberries, optional garnish

How to make it

1. Pour the cold cranberry juice drink and orange liqueur into a chilled flute or small wine glass.
2. Slowly top with the Prosecco. Give the glass one gentle swirl if needed.
3. Finish with an orange twist. Add cranberries for colour, but treat whole berries as decoration rather than something to eat.

Quick tip: Use a cranberry juice drink rather than pure unsweetened cranberry juice for this balance. Pure cranberry juice is much sharper, so start with less if that is what you have.

Want the simplest possible version? Our two-ingredient cranberry Mimosa skips the orange liqueur entirely.

2. Blood Orange Christmas Spritz

This one brings a glowing orange colour and a lovely bittersweet finish. Blood orange is especially pretty, but ordinary orange juice makes a cheerful alternative.

Ingredients — serves 1

• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled Brut Prosecco
• 45 ml (1.5 oz) chilled blood orange juice
• 20 ml (0.7 oz) Aperol
• 20 ml (0.7 oz) chilled soda water
• Ice and a thin orange slice

How to make it

1. Fill a large wine glass with ice and add the blood orange juice and Aperol.
2. Pour in the Prosecco, then the soda water.
3. Stir once, very gently, and add the orange slice.

Quick tip: Taste the juice before mixing. If it is very sweet, a small squeeze of fresh lemon will brighten the drink without needing another syrup.

3. Spiced Apple Prosecco Fizz

Apple and cinnamon make this feel unmistakably wintry, while Prosecco keeps it fresh rather than dessert-like. It is especially nice before a cosy dinner.

Zoe Harper

Ingredients — serves 1

• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled Brut Prosecco
• 45 ml (1.5 oz) chilled cloudy apple juice, non-alcoholic
• 10 ml (0.35 oz) ready-made cinnamon syrup
• 5 ml (about 0.2 oz) fresh lemon juice
• Ice, a thin apple slice and a short cinnamon stick, optional garnish

How to make it

1. Add ice to a wine glass, followed by the apple juice, cinnamon syrup and lemon juice.
2. Top slowly with chilled Prosecco and stir once.
3. Add an apple slice and cinnamon stick, if using, and serve immediately.

Quick tip: Cinnamon syrups vary in sweetness. Start with half the syrup if your apple juice is already sweet. No syrup? Chill the apple juice with a cinnamon stick in advance for a subtler spiced version, then omit the syrup.

4. Pomegranate Ginger Sparkler

Deep pink pomegranate gives this drink a festive colour, and a short pour of ginger ale adds a light ginger note. It is fruitier than a classic spritz without being heavy.

Ingredients — serves 1

• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled Brut Prosecco
• 45 ml (1.5 oz) chilled pomegranate juice
• 30 ml (1 oz) chilled ginger ale
• 5 ml (about 0.2 oz) fresh lime juice
• Ice, a lime twist or a few pomegranate seeds, optional garnish

How to make it

1. Fill a wine glass with ice. Add the pomegranate juice and lime juice.
2. Slowly pour in the Prosecco and ginger ale.
3. Swirl gently and garnish with a lime twist or a few pomegranate seeds.

Quick tip: If your pomegranate juice is already sweet, choose a less-sweet ginger ale or use a little less of it. The pomegranate should still taste bright.

5. Negroni Sbagliato

For anyone who prefers a bittersweet aperitivo to a fruity spritz, this ruby-red Italian classic brings a welcome contrast to the Christmas table. Serve it before dinner with a slice of orange. It swaps Prosecco for the gin in a Negroni and is deliberately smaller and bolder than the other five drinks.

Zoe Harper

Ingredients — serves 1

• 30 ml (1 oz) chilled Prosecco
• 30 ml (1 oz) Campari
• 30 ml (1 oz) sweet red vermouth
• Ice and an orange slice

How to make it

1. Fill a short rocks glass with ice, then add the Campari and sweet vermouth.
2. Stir briefly to chill, then top with the Prosecco.
3. Give it one final gentle stir and finish with an orange slice.

Quick tip: The classic equal-parts ratio creates a small, more intense drink than the other five. Keep it that way rather than filling the glass with extra wine and losing the signature bittersweet balance.

6. Limoncello Rosemary Spritz

Golden, lemony and gently herbal, this is the sunny-looking glass on a winter table. A rosemary sprig gives it an inviting aroma without making a separate herb syrup.

Ingredients — serves 1

• 120 ml (4 oz) chilled Brut Prosecco
• 30 ml (1 oz) limoncello
• 30 ml (1 oz) chilled soda water
• Ice, a lemon wheel and a small fresh rosemary sprig

How to make it

1. Fill a large wine glass with ice and add the limoncello.
2. Pour in the chilled Prosecco and soda water, then stir once, gently.
3. Add a lemon wheel and a lightly tapped rosemary sprig for fragrance.

Quick tip: Limoncello can be very sweet. If yours is especially rich, add a little more soda water rather than more liqueur.

One Bottle, Six Christmas Cocktails: The Easy Plan

If you would like to serve a six-drink tasting-style round, one standard 750 ml (25.4 oz) bottle holds enough Prosecco for one of each recipe. Five drinks use 120 ml (4 oz) each, while the smaller Negroni Sbagliato uses 30 ml (1 oz). The bottle maths covers the sparkling wine, not all the other ingredients.

• Five longer drinks: 5 × 120 ml = 600 ml (about 20.3 oz) Prosecco
• One Negroni Sbagliato: 30 ml (1 oz) Prosecco
• Total for all six: 630 ml (about 21.3 oz)
• Left from a 750 ml bottle: about 120 ml (4 oz), before any spills or extra pours

This is one serving of each recipe, not six servings of every recipe. If everyone wants the same cocktail, multiply that drink's Prosecco amount by the number of glasses you plan to make. Keep extra bottles chilled and unopened until they are needed.

Keep Your Christmas Cocktail Shopping Simple

You do not need five different liqueurs and aperitifs to make the evening feel festive. Choose recipes around what you already have, rather than buying every ingredient for the full six-drink selection.

• No extra spirits or liqueurs: Spiced Apple Prosecco Fizz and Pomegranate Ginger Sparkler use Prosecco as their only alcoholic ingredient.
• A citrus pair: Blood Orange Christmas Spritz and Limoncello Rosemary Spritz both use soda water. Pick one if you do not want to buy both Aperol and limoncello.
• A bittersweet option: Choose Negroni Sbagliato if Campari and sweet vermouth are already on your shelf.

For the easiest party, pick one signature drink and multiply that recipe for your guests. A fresh citrus garnish and cold bubbles will make it feel special without an overflowing shopping basket.

Which Prosecco Is Best for Christmas Cocktails?

Brut is an easy all-round choice here. Cranberry, apple, ginger ale, limoncello and orange liqueur already bring sweetness, so a crisper sparkling wine helps the drinks stay balanced.

One useful label detail: Extra Dry Prosecco is actually sweeter than Brut. If you prefer a softer, slightly sweeter glass, Extra Dry can work; just use less syrup or sweet mixer where the recipe allows. You do not need an expensive bottle, but choose one you enjoy drinking on its own.

For a clearer explanation of the labels, see our Brut vs Extra Dry Prosecco guide.

What to Prepare Before Your Guests Arrive

• Chill the Prosecco, juices, ginger ale and soda water well in advance.
• Put the orange, lemon, lime and apple garnishes together on a small tray; slice apples close to serving so they stay fresh.
• Measure the non-sparkling ingredients for each recipe into separate small covered containers if you want a faster first round.
• Set out the right glasses: flutes or small wine glasses for the Poinsettia, larger wine glasses for the spritzes, and a short rocks glass for the Negroni Sbagliato.
• Keep serving ice separate from any ice used to chill bottles. Add ice to glasses, not to the prepared bases.
• Open the Prosecco when you are ready to pour, and add it last so the drinks stay lively.

If you are serving more than six, our guide to batching cocktails without watering them down explains how to prepare the still ingredients early and finish each glass with fresh bubbles.

Make sure there is chilled water and a genuinely alcohol-free choice on the table too. A good Christmas drinks menu should make everyone feel welcome.

Christmas Prosecco Cocktail FAQ

Can I make these cocktails ahead of time?

Prepare the juices, liqueurs and other still ingredients ahead, then refrigerate them in covered containers. Do not add the Prosecco until serving. Once it is mixed in, the bubbles gradually fade.

How many bottles do I need for 12 guests?

If you repeat this exact six-drink menu twice, you need 1,260 ml (about 42.6 oz) Prosecco, so two standard 750 ml bottles are enough. If all 12 guests want a 120 ml Prosecco-based drink, you would use 1,440 ml (about 48.7 oz), still within two bottles. These are one-round shopping calculations, not drinking targets.

Can I make these drinks alcohol-free?

You can use a dry 0.0% sparkling wine alternative for the bubbles, but that is only the first substitution. Orange liqueur, Aperol, Campari, sweet vermouth and limoncello contain alcohol, so those ingredients also need suitable alcohol-free replacements or a different recipe. Check every label if strict 0.0% is important.

What should I do with leftover Prosecco?

Fit a sparkling-wine stopper and refrigerate the bottle promptly. The fizz will not last forever, so enjoy the remainder soon. Our guide to keeping opened Prosecco fizzy explains the simple stopper-and-fridge method.

A Little Sparkle Makes the Gathering

Pick the flavour that makes you smile, chill the Prosecco and add the bubbles just before serving. Whether you make one signature cocktail or a whole colourful tasting round, it is the little festive moment around the glass that matters.