If your heart’s grown three sizes this season — or you just need something to sip while watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas — this festive green Grinch cocktail is the best way to deliver holiday cheer in a glass. Sweet, tart, and just mischievous enough, it’s the perfect mix of naughty and nice.
I first made this years ago for a Christmas movie night, and it’s been a repeat ever since. It’s simple enough for casual gatherings but looks like something straight off a bar menu.
Grinch Cocktail Ingredients
How To Make This Grinch Drink
STEP ONE: Add the simple syrup to a shallow dish just wider than your glass rim, and do the same with the red sanding sugar. Dip the rim into the syrup, let any excess drip off, and then dip into the sanding sugar to coat. Set aside to dry while you prepare the drink.
STEP TWO: In a cocktail shaker, add 1 cup of ice, followed by the Midori, vodka, and sweet & sour cocktail mix. Shake for 30 seconds or until chilled and combined.
STEP THREE: Fill your prepared glass halfway with fresh ice. Strain the cocktail into the glass, then top with the chilled lemon-lime soda. Stir gently (or not at all) so you don’t lose the bubbles.
STEP FOUR: Drop a maraschino cherry in each glass — it’s your Grinch’s heart! It also adds a little pop of color against the green.
How To Serve
This Grinch Cocktail is easy to make for one or a crowd. For a single drink, just follow the recipe as written — it’s perfectly balanced in a standard 10-ounce cocktail glass.
If you’re serving a group, multiply the Midori, vodka, and sweet & sour mix by however many guests you have, then stir everything together in a large pitcher (no ice yet).
Keep it chilled in the fridge until party time. When ready to serve, shake individual portions with ice, pour into your pre-rimmed glasses, and top with chilled lemon-lime soda for that bubbly finish.
For a holiday party, I like to set up a mini “Grinch Bar” — glasses pre-rimmed with red sugar, a bowl of cherries for hearts, and a pitcher of the green base ready to go. Guests can top their own with soda and feel like honorary Whos from Whoville.
Pro tip: if you’re doubling or tripling the recipe, go light on the sweet & sour at first — you can always add more to taste once everything’s mixed and chilled.
More Grinch Recipes
Grinch Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 cup ice, plus additional for serving glass
- 2 ounces Midori melon liqueur
- 1 ½ ounces vodka
- 1 ½ ounces sweet & sour cocktail mix
- 2 ounces lemon-lime soda, chilled (Sprite brand soda used)
Garnishes
- Simple syrup
- Red sanding sugar sprinkles
- Maraschino cherry, for the Grinch’s heart
Instructions
- Add the simple syrup to a shallow dish slightly larger than the width of a 10-ounce cocktail glass. Do the same with red sanding sugar. Dip the rim of the glass into the simple syrup, allowing any excess to drip back into the dish, then dip into the red sanding sugar being sure to evenly coat the entire rim. Set aside to dry and set while preparing the cocktail.
- Add 1 cup of ice to a cocktail shaker followed by the Midori, vodka, and the sweet & sour cocktail mix. Shake for 30 seconds or until well combined and chilled.
- Fill the prepared glass halfway with fresh ice.
- Strain the cocktail mixture into the glass and top with the lemon-lime soda being careful not to disturb the sugar rim.
- Garnish with a single maraschino cherry and serve.
Notes
- If you prefer a thicker sugar rim for your cocktail, you can substitute clear corn syrup for the simple syrup. Be sure to allow the excess syrup to drip back into the dish so that you get a nice thick, clean rim of red sanding sugar. You can pre-rim your glasses up to 1 hour ahead of time if serving these Grinch cocktails for a party.
- For a slightly more tropical flavor, you can substitute coconut rum for the vodka in equal parts.
- Silver rum can be substituted 1:1 for the vodka in this recipe.
Nutrition
Comments
Gloria says
How cute is this!