Vodka Cranberry Cocktail (New & Improved!)

Vodka Cranberry might be the easiest cocktail ever, made with vodka and cranberry juice! Here’s how to make this fizzy drink, also known as Cape Codder.

Here’s one of the easiest cocktail recipes to make: cranberry vodka! It only has a handful of ingredients and the taste is tart and refreshing. Even better (or worse?), it falls off easily. The taste is well balanced so the alcohol is not too strong. Alex and I love cranberry cocktail recipes, and we had some leftover cranberry juice from making Cosmos. We used the leftovers to make a Vodka Cranberry and it hit the spot. Here’s how to prepare this no-frills classic.

Looking for more cocktails? Try our 30 best cocktails you should know.

What’s in that cranberry vodka?

Is it really that simple? Is it just vodka and cranberry juice? Yes! And no. Alex and I added a few little touches to our recipe to really make it shine. But it’s still one of the easiest cocktails you can make! It’s part of a family of highball cocktails: drinks that use a larger portion of a non-alcoholic mixer. What’s in our vodka cranberry version?

• vodka
• 100% unsweetened cranberry juice
• Maple syrup or plain syrup
• lime

All of these ingredients are served over ice (or with crushed ice). You just mix them with a bar spoon: no need for a shaker! Again, no fancy glassware is required: anything is possible.

A bit of drink history: the Cape Codder!

Where does the vodka cranberry cocktail come from? Believe it or not, this classic drink was invented by Ocean Spray themselves (you know, the cranberry company?). What a marketing ploy! It was invented in the 1940’s and we still drink it today.

The drink was originally called Red Devil but was renamed Cape Codder in the early 1960s. So, Cranberry Vodka, Cape Cod and Cape Codder everyone thinks the same!

Cranberry Juice vs. Cranberry Juice Cocktail

Here’s an important point: So pay attention! Cranberry juice is different from cranberry juice cocktail. What is the difference?

• cranberry juice is unsweetened: it has a sour taste and is labeled “100% Juice”.
• Cranberry Juice Cocktail is sweetened, often with added sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

Here’s the thing: most cranberry cocktail recipes that call for “cranberry juice” actually mean “cranberry juice cocktail”! In the 1940s, when these cocktails were invented, only the sweet version was available.

This Vodka Cranberry uses unsweetened juice!

While most traditional versions use a cranberry vodka sweet Cranberry Juice, this recipe uses 100% cranberry juice! Think of it as a modern take on the classic. Why use unsweetened juice here?

• It has less sugar and you can adjust the sweetness. Use 100% juice and the drink will contain less sugar overall. To balance the flavor, we added sweetness to the drink by adding maple syrup or plain syrup. You can make it more tart or a little sweeter depending on your taste! Alex and I prefer to use maple syrup because it provides a milder sweetness.
• The color is lighter. The color is light pink because the 100% juice is darker in color.

There’s a whole family of drinks associated with cranberry vodka! Here are the most popular cranberry cocktails, many of which belong to the vodka cocktail family:

When to serve a cranberry vodka cocktail

The cranberry vodka cocktail, or Cape Codder, is a casual, no-frills drink. You don’t need any special equipment or glasses to do it, but it still looks special. It’s great like:

More vodka cocktails

Do you have a bottle of vodka to use? Here are some other popular vodka cocktails to try: