Dirty Santa Cocktail

This Dirty Santa Cocktail combines smooth vodka, sweet grenadine, tangy lime juice, and floral elderflower lemonade, all topped with festive fun garnishes. Its snowy coconut rim and bright holiday colors make it as beautiful as it is delicious. Perfect for Christmas parties or quiet nights by the tree, this cocktail will be your new holiday favorite!

Dirty Santa Cocktail Recipe

This drink is a little bit naughty, a little bit nice, and a whole lot delicious! I am a bit obsessed and you might be too because this Dirty Santa Cocktail is fun to make, super cute and perfect for holiday gatherings. With a mix of smooth vodka, tangy lime juice, sweet grenadine, and fragrant elderflower lemonade, this festive cocktail is not only beautiful but also bursting with flavor and maybe a little too easy to drink. Rimmed with coconut for that snowy feel and garnished with fresh cranberries and rosemary, it’s the perfect holiday showstopper for parties and gatherings. Let’s grab those Santa hats and shake up the ultimate Christmas cocktail!

Ingredients for the Dirty Santa Cocktail

This Dirty Santa Cocktail recipe is simple yet festive, with easy-to-find ingredients that come together to create the perfect holiday drink:

  • Vodka: Smooth and versatile, vodka is the perfect base for this cocktail. Omit the vodka if you’d like to make a mocktail version of this drink!
  • Lime juice: Freshly squeezed lime juice is best as it adds a bit more flavor and all the tangy, citrusy zing you could want.
  • Grenadine: Provides a sweet, bright red base for the cocktail, giving it a cheerful holiday hue.
  • Elderflower lemonade: Light, floral, and sparkling, it’s the perfect bubbly finish to this festive drink.

Garnish Ingredients

  • Fresh rosemary: Adds a festive, pine-like aroma and doubles as a stir stick.
  • Fresh cranberries: A vibrant and seasonal garnish that makes this drink look stunning.

Rim Ingredients

  • Coconut cream: Acts as the “glue” for the coconut rim, adding a creamy touch.
  • Desiccated coconut: Creates a snowy, frosted effect that’s perfect for the holidays.

Why the Dirty Santa Cocktail is a Holiday Favorite

The Dirty Santa Cocktail is more than just a cocktail, it’s a whole festive experience from appearance to sip! With its bright red color, snowy coconut rim, and cheerful holiday garnishes, it’s a visual treat that screams Christmas. Its sweet, tangy, and bubbly flavor is perfectly balanced for sipping, and its versatility makes it a hit at holiday parties or cozy nights by the fire. This cocktail truly embodies the holiday spirit in every sip!

How to Make the Dirty Santa Cocktail

Here’s how to create the ultimate Santa Cocktail with vodka:

Prepare the rim

Brush coconut cream around the rim of your glass using a pastry brush. Sprinkle desiccated coconut over the cream until the rim is evenly covered. Chill in the fridge.

Mix the cocktail

In a cocktail shaker, combine vodka, grenadine, and fresh lime juice. Add ice and shake vigorously.

Assemble the drink

Fill your prepared glass with ice, then pour in the cocktail mixture.

Top it off

Add elderflower lemonade for a refreshing, bubbly finish. Garnish with fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary for that festive touch.

Variations on the Dirty Santa Cocktail

This cocktail is so fun to customize so get creative and make it all your own!

  • Switch the lemonade: Swap elderflower lemonade for sparkling water, Sprite, or 7Up for a different flavor profile.
  • Try different syrups: Experiment with pomegranate molasses or cranberry syrup instead of grenadine.
  • Make it non-alcoholic: Replace vodka with sparkling cranberry juice for a kid-friendly holiday mocktail.

What to Serve with Christmas Cocktails

Pair your Dirty Santa Cocktail with festive bites to elevate your holiday gathering. Serve alongside my favorite Grinch Cookies, Savory Vegan Meatball Holiday Wreath balance the cocktail’s sweet and tangy flavors, or keep it simple with a cheese board with nuts and dried fruits make for a perfect holiday pairing. 

Tips for Making the Perfect Dirty Santa Cocktail

  • Use fresh lime juice: Freshly squeezed lime juice makes all the difference in flavor.
  • Chill your glass: A cold glass keeps your cocktail perfectly frosty.
  • Experiment with garnishes: Add a sprig of thyme, a cinnamon stick, or even a candy cane for a fun twist.
  • Use natural grenadine: A pomegranate-based grenadine elevates the flavor and keeps it all-natural.

Why You’ll Love the Dirty Santa Cocktail

Who doesn’t love a themed cocktail? The holidays are here and what better way to toast to all the goodies than with this Dirty Santa Cocktail? It’s the perfect blend of festive fun and delicious flavor. Easy to make, uses simple ingredients, and looks absolutely stunning. Whether you’re hosting a holiday gathering or simply looking for the perfect Christmas drink to enjoy by the fire, this cocktail is sure to bring some holiday cheer. With its sweet, tangy, and bubbly taste, this drink is a guaranteed hit for the season!

If you liked this recipe make sure you leave a rating and review below!

Try these recipes next:

Tipsy Elf Cocktail

Fig and Stormy

Spiced Citrus Rum Cocktail

Picture of Meet Claire

Meet Claire

Welcome to Claire Bear Bites! Here is where we have the most amount of fun with food. I’m an silly, quirky Aussie living in LA, creating and loving bright, colorful, healthy and delicious plant forward meals.

This deliciously colorful meals are a direct reflection of me and my love for experimenting. Food should make you happy, smile and make you do a weird lil happy dance cause it taste so dang good. Life can be stressful but your food doesn’t need to be! Let’s have fun and eat the rainbow!

Let's get social!

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Dirty Santa Cocktail

This Dirty Santa Cocktail combines smooth vodka, sweet grenadine, tangy lime juice, and floral elderflower lemonade, all topped with festive fun garnishes. Its snowy coconut rim and bright holiday colors make it as beautiful as it is delicious. Perfect for Christmas parties or quiet nights by the tree, this cocktail will be your new holiday favorite!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Cocktail
Cuisine American
Servings 1 serving

Equipment

  • Cocktail shaker

Ingredients
  

Cocktail Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz Vodka
  • ½ oz Lime juice
  • 1 oz Grenadine
  • Elderflower lemonade

Garnish Ingredients

  • Fresh rosemary
  • Fresh Cranberries

Rim Ingredients

  • Coconut cream
  • Coconut

Instructions
 

  • Start by creating a beautiful coconut rim! Simply brush coconut cream using a pastry brush about an inch thick at the top of a serving glass. Then sprinkle desiccated coconut until the rim is covered, and set aside in the fridge.
  • Next, into a cocktail shaker add the vodka, grenadine, and the fresh lime juice. Add ice and shake vigorously.
  • Grab your beautiful festive serving glass from the fridge, fill with ice and add the bright red cocktail.
  • Finally, top with elderflower lemonade and garnish with fresh cranberries and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Enjoy!

Notes

Please opt for fresh lime in this recipe, the fresh vibrant flavor makes this cocktail stand out.
I opted for a natural grenadine syrup made from pomegranate, you can however, absolutely use any grenadine of choice
I love the floral-fruity notes from elderflower lemonade, it’s all-natural and adds such a lovely freshness. If you’re not a fan of Elderflower or you don’t have it on hand, you can use any sparkling lemonade of choice like sprite or 7up.
Find all my cocktail making essentials HERE
Keyword dirty santa, holiday cocktail, holiday drink, vodka cocktail

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Picture of Meet Claire

Meet Claire

Welcome to Claire Bear Bites! Here is where we have the most amount of fun with food. I’m an silly, quirky Aussie living in LA, creating and loving bright, colorful, healthy and delicious plant forward meals.

This deliciously colorful meals are a direct reflection of me and my love for experimenting. Food should make you happy, smile and make you do a weird lil happy dance cause it taste so dang good. Life can be stressful but your food doesn’t need to be! Let’s have fun and eat the rainbow!

Let's get social!

Search

Most Recent Recipes

Subscribe for more!

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