Holiday Cheerwine Cocktail – Your Own Little Punch Bowl In A Glass
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When we moved to North Carolina, we knew that Cheerwine was a *big deal.* A 103-year-old, family-owned soft drink created in Salisbury, NC, their seasonal Holiday Cheerwine is a mix of tangy pineapple juice and bubbly ginger ale.
Of course, you know that I have a reputation to maintain…and our Cheerwine needed a little something, something. Booze!!
Imagine your own little bowl of holiday punch in your hands. Want the recipe? Of course, you can leave out the booze and make a mocktail, too.
**Please also remember that Holiday Cheerwine is typically sold in North and South Carolina through Dec. 31st. I originally created this recipe as a sponsored Instagram ad but decided it was too fun not to share on TUL. This blog post is not sponsored, though.
What We Recommend
Why A Cheerwine Cocktail?
Living in the south, we learned that sweet tea is life. The sweeter, the better. Cheerwine is a boozeless cherry soft drink that is a celebration of all things sugary goodness. Essentially, it’s the soft drink version of sweet tea.
In the winter, Cheerwine releases their Holiday Cheerwine. This seasonal Cheerwine has the ginger ale and pineapple flavors that everyone was originally mixing into the original Cheerwine to make punch.
TUL’s holiday Cheerwine cocktail celebrates all things punch and is perfect for parties and soda lovers. You can add anything you want, and its full ratio is one bottle of Cheerwine to one bottle of bourbon.
What Tools Will You Need For Cheerwine Cocktail?
Here at The Uncorked Librarian, we always try to keep our cocktail recipes pretty easy and simple. I am a pro drinker, not a pro cocktail maker. A few typical home bar supplies you will need include:
Cocktail Mixing Glass
We use a classic shaker for our cocktails. However, since I wanted to preserve the carbonation, a cocktail mixing glass works best here. You can also grab an entire glass cocktail mixing kit with a jigger, spoon, muddler, and strainer here. Honestly, if you don’t have a mixing glass and are making one cocktail, you can use a liquid measuring cup — I won’t tell.
Double Jigger
A double jigger is fantastic for measuring spirits and add-ins. We prefer jiggers that have the incremented measurements notched inside.
Bar Spoon
A long bar spoon will help you both measure and stir your ingredients. I may have used the end of a chopstick for this recipe…
Glassware
I always think that a drink tastes better when it sits in a sleek glass. You can drink your punch in rocks glasses or extra large wine glasses.
What Ingredients Do You Need?
There are two sets of ingredients for this Cheerwine cocktail. The first is for the rim, and the second is for the actual cocktail. You definitely don’t have to rim your glass.
Cheerwine Cocktail Rim Ingredients:
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
Red and Green Sprinkles
Honey
Cheerwine Punch Ingredients:
8 oz (1 liquid cup) Limited Edition Holiday Cheerwine
1.5 oz (1 shot) Bourbon
1 tsp lime juice
Garnish:
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 anise stars
1-2 lime slices
Cinnamon and nutmeg
How Do You Make Our Holiday Cheerwine Cocktail?
Rim Instructions: Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sprinkles in a wide and shallow bowl. Using a paper towel, rim a mason jar, punch glass, or rocks glass with honey. Dip glass into mixture. I then placed the glass into the fridge for 5 minutes — but it didn’t really do much more to set the rim.
Cocktail Instructions: Add Cheerwine, bourbon, and lime juice in a cocktail mixing glass. Gently stir with a bar spoon. Carefully pour mixture into rimmed glass and garnish.
Let Us Know What You Think
Have you tasted Cheerwine, and did you try making our Holiday Cheerwine Cocktail? What did you think? Did you add or change any ingredients? How do you booze up your Cheerwine?
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Christine Frascarelli
Christine (she/her) is the owner, lead editor, and tipsy book sommelier of The Uncorked Librarian LLC, an online literary publication showcasing books and movies to inspire travel and home to the famed Uncorked Reading Challenge. With a BA in English & History from Smith College, an MLIS from USF-Tampa, and a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Christine's back pocket, there isn't a bookstore, library, or winery that can hide from her. Christine loves brewery yoga, adopting all of the kitties, and a glass of oaked Chardonnay. Charcuterie is her favorite food group.
As you know, I’ve never hard Cheerwine. Hopefully, at some point in my life, I’m in NC visiting my sister for the holiday season so I can try this. I’m definitely going to be boozing it up with some bourbon. This sounds amazing and I LOVE the shots.
Love the font size! So much better.
Yes; we hadn’t tried Cheerwine until we moved to NC. It’s fun that they have their own bevie. Thanks so much!!