Rudolph's Red Nose Fizz
Rudolph's Red Nose Fizz is a non-alcoholic Christmas mocktail for children — cranberry and orange sweetened with a rosemary syrup from Volume 5 and lengthened with sparkling water. Two touches make it Christmas rather than merely red: a rim of red decorating sugar, and a rosemary sprig standing in the glass that reads unmistakably as a small tree. Neither costs anything and both are done before anyone arrives. The base keeps two full days, which in Christmas week is the most valuable thing about it.
Christmas asks a great deal of a host in the last hour before guests arrive, and almost none of it can be done in advance. This one can. It is mixed days ahead, sits in the refrigerator not asking for anything, and becomes festive in the ten seconds it takes to rim a glass.
Rosemary Is What Keeps It from Being Juice
Cranberry and orange together are bright and simple and would be perfectly pleasant on their own. The Rosemary Simple Syrup is what lifts the drink into something that smells like the holidays before it is even tasted — piney, faintly savory, the same note that is already coming off the roast and the wreath on the door. A quarter cup is enough. Rosemary is assertive, and this is a drink for young guests; you want the perfume of it, not a mouthful.
The Rim and the Little Tree
Rim the glasses with red decorating sugar before you pour, never after, and set them aside while you work. Fill with ice, pour, then float a few whole cranberries and lay in an orange wheel. The last thing in is a small rosemary sprig standing upright against the ice — it looks like a Christmas tree in the snow, and every child at the party will notice it before they notice the drink.
Rudolph's Red Nose Fizz
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a pitcher, combine the cranberry juice, orange juice, and Rosemary Simple Syrup. Stir well and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Just before serving, gently stir in the sparkling water.
- If desired, rim the glasses with red decorating sugar. Fill each glass with ice and pour in the punch.
- Garnish with a few floating cranberries, an orange slice, and a small rosemary sprig that resembles a tiny Christmas tree. Serve immediately.
Notes
The Heart of the Table
The children's drink at a Christmas party is usually an afterthought poured from a carton, and children know exactly what an afterthought looks like. This one comes with a sugared rim and its own small tree. It says that the youngest guests were planned for, not accommodated — which is, in the end, what every guest is really hoping to find out.
The Art of the Host
A pitcher, a saucer for the red sugar, and glasses you do not mind being handled. The base is made up to two days ahead and lives in the refrigerator door. On the day, the entire job is rimming glasses and setting out the garnish bowls, and both can be done before anyone knocks.
Hosting a Crowd
For 12 little guests, combine:
Little Host Job
Let your youngest helpers rim the glasses with red sugar, float the cranberries, and tuck a tiny rosemary "Christmas tree" into each drink before serving. It's a simple way to make them feel like an important part of welcoming guests.
Neighborly Grace
- The Presentation: A red-sugar rim, ice, a few floating cranberries, a thin orange wheel, and a rosemary sprig standing upright like a small tree. Clear glasses so the color reads, and a festive paper straw for the youngest guests.
- The Vibe: Christmas Eve with the tree lit and the house too warm, everyone in from the cold at once — a drink that looks like the holiday and can be handed to absolutely anyone.
- The Flourish: North Pole Fizz: Use white cranberry juice for a sparkling winter-white version. Santa's Sparkler: Add a splash of pomegranate juice for an even deeper Christmas red. Snowy Rudolph: Top each glass with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream for a festive holiday float. Sparkling Citrus Fizz: Substitute blood orange juice for a richer holiday color and flavor.