Lemon Drop Jolly Pops (Cranberry-Raspberry Vodka Cocktail)

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This easy vodka cocktail features cranberry-raspberry juice for a simple drink that's full of flavor! A perfect refreshing martini for summer, holidays, and more. Cocktail recipe for 21+. Please drink responsibly.

Cranberry lemon drop in a tall cocktail glass.

If I had to pick a signature drink, it would be this one. My roommates and I started making these cocktails in college, before we'd nailed down - or could afford the ingredients for - more "classic" (read: grown-up) drinks.

We dubbed this drink a Jolly Pop: It's a cross between a simple lemon drop martini recipe and a classic Cosmopolitan. A bit of cranberry-raspberry juice adds sweetness and complexity for a simple cocktail that packs a punch. This drink is bright, fresh, and needs just a few basic ingredients: It's no wonder it's stuck with me for well over a decade.

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Ingredients
Substitutions and Variations
Instructions
FAQs
More Refreshing Cocktail Ideas
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments & Reviews

Ingredients

For a full ingredients list and exact quantities, scroll to the recipe card below.

This is a pretty straightforward vodka cocktail recipe, but we want to highlight a few things before you jump in:

Cranberry-Raspberry Juice is the star of the show here. It's sweet, complex, fruit-forward, and just a little bit tart. We like the Ocean Spray Cranberry Raspberry juice, but you can use any brand you like.
Triple Sec. We recommend Cointreau if you have it, but you can use any brand of triple sec or orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier), or make a quick homemade simple syrup.
Lemon and lime juice add a ton of flavor here. Skip the bottled stuff and squeeze your own citrus for this recipe - it will taste so much better.

Substitutions and Variations

This recipe is so forgiving: Play around with the exact amount of each ingredient to find a balance that suits your palate! A few other fun swaps:

Add a splash of orange or grapefruit juice if you'd like to dial up the citrus.
Use a homemade berry simple syrup instead of triple sec (this is a great place to use leftover syrup from our strawberry thyme cocktail, raspberry margarita, or berry cocktail!)
Make it a mocktail! Use simple syrup instead of triple sec, and omit the vodka. Add a splash of club soda or tonic water for extra body if you like.

Instructions

Straining cocktails into prepared glasses.

Add a sugar rim to your cocktail glasses (optional). Lightly dust a small plate with granulated sugar. Run a lime or lemon wedge around the rim of a chilled cocktail glass, then gently tap it into the sugar to create a sugar rim. (See a more detailed tutorial in our Raspberry Margaritas post!)
Make the cocktails. Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Pour into your prepared martini glass.
Add garnishes. For some extra pizzazz, garnish cocktails with a lime or lemon twist! If you're making these drinks during the holiday season, you can also garnish with a few fresh cranberries if you like.

Cocktail in a glass with sugar on the rim and a lemon twist.

FAQs

Can I use regular cranberry juice?

Yes - we love a cranberry lemon drop martini! Just keep in mind that if you use pure cranberry juice, this cocktail will be MUCH more tart. You may want to add a bit of extra triple sec or simple syrup to balance out the flavors.

Can I make these cocktails non-alcoholic?

Definitely! Swap the triple sec in this raspberry lemon drop for a homemade simple syrup, and omit the vodka. You can also top your mocktails with a splash of club soda or tonic water for extra body, or swap the vodka for your favorite non-alcoholic gin (we like Drink Monday zero alcohol gin and Ritual Non-Alcoholic Gin).

Do I have to use vodka?

Swap the vodka for your favorite gin if you like! We do recommend sticking to milder, clear liquor here: Darker spirits like whiskey or rum can overpower the other flavors in this homemade cranberry lemon drop.

What martini glasses did you use in these pictures?

They're the verve martini glasses from Crate & Barrel!

Can I make these cocktails ahead of time?

You can squeeze the fresh lemon juice and lime juice a day ahead of time; store juice in an airtight container in the fridge until you're ready to make your drinks.

Can I make these drinks for a crowd?

Yes - use the handy 1x, 2x, 3x buttons in the recipe card below to scale this recipe up for more servings! If you're making these drinks for a crowd, you can mix everything together in a pitcher a few hours ahead of time: Store the pitcher in the fridge, and pour the mixed drink directly into glasses filled with ice as needed throughout the evening.

More Refreshing Cocktail Ideas

📖 Recipe

Lemon Drop Jolly Pops

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

Author: Jessie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 Cocktails 1x
Category: Cocktails
Cuisine: American

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Description

Easy lemon drop cocktails with cranberry raspberry juice for a fun twist.

Ingredients

Scale

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (optional)
4 ounces cranberry-raspberry juice (½ cup)
2 ounces triple sec (¼ cup)
2 ounces vodka (¼ cup)
2 ounces fresh lemon juice (¼ cup; about 2 lemons)
½ ounce fresh lime juice (1 Tablespoon; about ½ a small lime)
plenty of ice

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Instructions

Add a sugar rim to your martini glasses (optional):

Run a lime or lemon wedge around the rim of your martini glasses, then lightly dip the rim in sugar to form a sugar rim (optional).

Make the cocktails:

Add cranberry-raspberry juice, triple sec, vodka, lemon juice, and lime juice to a cocktail shaker. Add ice, attach the lid, and shake well. Strain into prepared martini glasses; garnish with a lemon twist (optional).

Notes

Use fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice here - it makes a huge difference and will taste much better! Trim off a few wedges or twists from one of the lemons or limes before juicing them - save these pieces for a garnish!

What kind of liquor should I use? We typically test our recipes with Tito's vodka or Absolut, but use whatever you like! Cointreau is our go-to triple sec, but you can use any triple sec or orange liqueur (like Grand Marnier) that you like.

Additions and Substitutions. Use simple syrup instead of triple sec. Swap the vodka for your favorite gin. For a non-alcoholic mocktail, use simple syrup in place of triple sec and omit the vodka; top with a splash of tonic water or club soda for extra body.

This is a very forgiving recipe. Add a little more of an ingredient to help these drinks suit your palate! For extra sweetness, add more cranberry-raspberry juice and/or triple sec. For a more tart drink, add extra lemon or lime juice. Remember that lemons and limes can vary in strength: Taste the cocktail after shaking it together, and add an extra splash of something as needed to suit your tastes.

How to sugar the rim of a martini glass: Dust a small plate with a thin layer of granulated sugar. Run a slice of lemon or lime around the edge of a cocktail glass (or lightly moisten the edge of the glass with a bit of water), then gently dip the glass into the sugar. If you don’t have a lime or lemon wedge, dip your finger in water and run it around the top of your glass.