The time to get festive is nigh! And by festive, I mean boozy. Cranberry Orange Whiskey Punch is a tart and tangy holiday cocktail that’s easy to make for one or one dozen. Sweeten a blend of cranberry, orange, and lemon juice with simple syrup, and mix in whiskey and brandy for that extra pick-me-up.

Two glasses of whiskey punch with cranberry and orange on a concrete background with a pitcher in the background.

Jump to:

What’s the Best Whiskey to Use?
Tips for Making this Whiskey Punch Recipe Perfectly
Make-ahead Friendly
More Festive Holiday Cocktails
Recipe

‘Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the kitchen
Not a creature was stirring
‘Cept for the one bitchin’.

Who cares about stockings
When there’s cooking to do?
So I’ll fix me a cocktail
To help me get through…

For those of us celebrating, the countdown is on. Multiple meal preps. Last minute gifts. Batteries not included. Back to the store. Scraping up hardened bits of Christmas cookie dough from the counters. Eating all the Christmas cookies. Needing to bake more… Scrape. Bake. Eat. Repeat. Remind me again why this is the most wonderful time of the year?

Oh, right. Love and family and joy and presents… and cookies. If you’re managing to cope sans stress (or whiskey), I salute you. While I try to stay on top of things, and have a wonderfully supportive partner to help me keep up, I also fret. A lot. I worry that the kids won’t be happy. I worry there won’t be enough food. I worry I’ll leave someone off my list. And then I over-compensate and over-extend.

So bottoms up to all the worrywarts out there. Your struggle is real. Your exhaustion is palpable. And your desire to make the holiday season joyful for as many people as possible is admirable. This Cranberry Orange Whiskey Punch is for you: keeping up appearances on the outside; slightly tart, bitter, and acidic on the inside; but rendered perfectly palatable – nay, downright delicious – by sweetness. Kinda like Christmas.

What’s the Best Whiskey to Use?

Don’t use the cheap stuff, but there’s no need to go overboard either, especially in a punch recipe with several mixers. We used Bulleit. Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, or any other mid-priced brand will be just fine.

Tips for Making this Whiskey Punch Recipe Perfectly

Swap the cranberries for cocktail cherries for a completely edible garnish (fresh cranberries are pretty, but entirely too bitter to actually eat).
There’s no need to use fresh squeezed orange juice – store bought bottled is fine. But..
Do use both sugar free orange juice and cranberry juice or the finished cocktail as written (with added sweetener) will be entirely too sweet.

Left - a pitcher of cranberry orange whiskey punch; right - pouring a serving of whiskey punch into a rocks glass with ice.

Make-ahead Friendly

You’ll find instruction in the recipe card to scale this recipe up for a crowd. It’s a great pitcher recipe for parties and gatherings.

More Festive Holiday Cocktails

From above, three glasses of whiskey punch garnished with cranberries and orange slices.

Did you make this Cranberry Orange Whiskey Punch? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.

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Recipe

Cranberry Orange Whiskey Punch

Author: Danielle Esposti

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This shareable, seasonal sipper may be pretty, but it's also definitely packing a punch (literally). Fruit-forward Cranberry Orange Whiskey Punch features just the right amount of whiskey and brandy to get you over the holiday hump. Single serve or batch recipe below.

Prep Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Servings : cocktail

Calories: 288

Ingredients

2 oz whiskey
1 oz brandy
½ oz simple syrup
½ oz lemon juice
¼ c cranberry juice
¼ c orange juice

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir until well combined.
Pour over ice and garnish with an orange slice and fresh cranberries.

Notes

To scale up for a pitcher recipe (8 servings):

1 c whiskey
½ c brandy
¼ c white sugar or simple syrup
¼ c lemon juice
2 c orange juice
2 c cranberry juice

Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher; stir until the sugar dissolves. Chill 4 hours, or up to overnight.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1drink, Calories: 288kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 23g (8%), Protein: 0g, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 5mg, Potassium: 124mg (4%), Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 21g (23%), Vitamin A: 6% (6%), Vitamin C: 37% (37%), Calcium: 7% (7%), Iron: 0%

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