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The most festive cocktail to make and enjoy with family and friends this season. This batch-style martini is a mix of sweet pomegranate juice, orange liqueur, and vodka, shaken together with a homemade spicy honey simple syrup. The syrup has warm notes of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger – because it’s the holidays and I love a little extra warmth this time of year. We will definitely be serving this one alongside our holiday meals!
It’s officially the first cocktail of the holiday season, and I couldn’t be more excited. I mixed this festive martini into this year’s Thanksgiving menu, and I’ve been wanting to share the final recipe with you, but needed to get it photographed. I love sharing cocktails on Saturdays, but so many of you have reached out asking for all the new holiday recipes as soon as possible. So here it is!
If you’re open to adding a cocktail to your menu, this is an easy, pretty, and very crowd-pleasing option. It’s not fancy or complicated, which is exactly what we all want on a busy holiday. And the best part? You can make the mix ahead of time so it’s ready to go when guests arrive. Serve this as everyone walks in the door, and it immediately feels cozy, welcoming, and so holiday-perfect. Cheers to kicking off the season with this delicious Holiday Spiced Pomegranate Martini!
These are the Details
Ingredients
- pomegranate juice
- vodka
- Cointreau (orange liqueur)
- ginger beer
For the spicy Chai Honey
- water
- honey
- chai
To Make it Festive
- sugared rosemary
- pomegranate arils
- star anise
Barcart Tools
All that’s needed is a glass pitcher and a spoon for mixing. Plus a small saucepan or pot to simmer the honey syrup.
The Steps
Step 1: Make the Spiced Honey
Combine water and honey (about 1 cup water and 1/3 of a cup honey) in a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and add the spices you’re using. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Cover and let steep for 10 minutes, or simply allow it to sit until you’re ready to use it. This syrup can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept in the fridge. If you used loose spices, strain before storing.
Step 2: Mix the Martini
In a pitcher or punch bowl, combine the pomegranate juice, vodka, and orange liqueur (such as Cointreau). Stir in as much of the spiced honey syrup as you like. I usually start with about half and adjust to taste.
Holiday Hosting Tip
Use any leftover spiced honey to make sugared rosemary. Lightly dip fresh rosemary sprigs into the honey, then coat with granulated sugar. Let dry at room temperature for about one hour until set. It’s beautiful and adds a sparkling, snowy touch to every glass.
How to Serve
When you’re ready to serve, pour in the bubbly. I like to use ginger beer for a cozy, lightly spiced flavor, but sparkling water or prosecco work well too.
Give everything a gentle stir, then pour into glasses and garnish as desired. No matter how you serve it, this martini always feels pretty and festive.
Make It Friendly for Everyone (No Alcohol Version)
To make a non-alcoholic batch, combine:
• spiced chai honey
• pomegranate juice
• orange juice
• water
• ginger beer or ginger sparkling water
• pomegranate arils, rosemary, and star anise for garnish
Stir everything together, chill, and serve. So easy, and everyone can enjoy a glass.
Make the Drink Extra Pretty
Candied rosemary is one of my favorite garnishes this time of year. It’s delicious, sparkly, and reminds me of fresh snowfall. But I also love adding pomegranate arils for a pretty pop of red.
Photography by Johnny Miller
Looking for other Christmas drinks? Here are my favorites:
Sparkling Mistletoe Cosmo Punch
Lastly, if you make this Spiced Pomegranate Martini, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pomegranate Spice Martini
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 344 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chai Honey Spiced Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 bag chai
- cinnamon sticks and star anise (optional)
Martini
- 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
- 2 cups vodka
- 1 cup Cointreau (orange liqueur)
- 2 bottles ginger beer
- pomegranate arils, star anise, and sugared rosemary, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a small to medium pot, bring the water to a boil with the honey. Remove from the heat, add the chai, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag. Let cool. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.2. In a large pitcher, combine the pomegranate juice, vodka, orange liqueur, and chai syrup. Chill until ready to serve.3. Just before serving, add ice to your punch bowl/pitcher. Pour over the ginger beer. 4. Pour between cocktail glasses. Top with pomegranate arils, star anise, and sugared rosemary.To Make a Mocktail: 1. In a large pitcher, mix 2 cups of pomegranate juice with 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 -1 cup water, and chai syrup. Chill until ready to serve.2. Just before serving, add ice to your punch bowl/pitcher. Pour the ginger beer over top.
Notes
Sugared Rosemary
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently run rosemary sprigs under a little water to dampen and place on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the rosemary with granulated sugar on all sides, making sure the rosemary is thoroughly coated in sugar. Allow to dry on the baking sheet for 1 hour. The rosemary can be made one day in advance and stored at room temperature.
This post was originally published on November 18, 2025
Hi HBH, you have champagne listed in the ingredients at the top of the page, but you removed it from the ingredients at the bottom. (It used to say ginger beer or champagne.) is there a reason it’s gone now? This is getting hard to keep track of the edits. Can you let me know when the recipe is final? I’ll shop tomorrow if at all possible. Or Saturday if you need extra time.
Hi Kerry,
The recipe is final, I think ginger beer is the best option to use here.
I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
Thanks for letting me know. Can you please remove champagne from the ingredients list at the top then? The inconsistency between these lists gets to be frustrating.
So sorry about that, Kerry!
Can you please provide more specific measurements for the champagne/ginger beer/seltzer topping? The recipe says two bottles of ginger beer or champagne, and those bottles are very different sizes. And then can you please let me know how many ounces I’m going to be topping the drinks with? Thanks!
Hi Ellen,
It’s 2 cans or bottle of ginger beer, about 16 oz total, same for the champagne. You will add this to the pitcher just before serving, so you do not need to top each drink with that. I hope this helps! Cheers!
This sounds delicious & I can’t wait to serve it at Thanksgiving! My question is how many cinnamon sticks did you use & did you place one star anise in each glass before serving
Thanks so much, Barbara! You can add a couple of each:) You do not need to garnish each drink with star anise.
I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
Curious why the honey syrup ratio is 1:3 honey to water? A typical honey syrup for cocktails is 2:1 honey to water, so this seems on the extreme thin side. Looks pretty!
Hi there,
I found this to be the best flavor with the syrup, but you could adjust to your liking:)
I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
I made this per the instructions above and the recipe was awful. Is this correct 1/3 tbsp (so one tsp) of honey? I would give zero stars if I could!
Very sorry to hear this, Whitney! It’s 1/3 cup of honey. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
And what is amount of champagne or ginger beer? 8 oz? 12 oz? Or more? Thanks! Cocktail looks great.
Hi Laurie,
The ginger beer that I used was 8oz per can. I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
I’m still not clear on the honey amount. Is it 1/3 Tablespoon of honey which is 1 tsp. Is this correct?
Hi Catherine,
It’s 1/3 cup of honey:) I hope you love this recipe! Sorry for any confusion!
Do you really mean 1/3 tablespoon honey? That is a teaspoon. And it isn’t much. How is that going to be a syrup with 1 cup of water?
Hi there,
Yes, you are going to combine 1/3 cup of honey with 1 cup of water. I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
Still confused on the honey. In your write-up of the steps, step 1 says 1/3 CUP honey, but the recipe says 1/3 TBSP. Seems to me it should be 1/3 CUP. Is that right?
HI Judy,
SO sorry about that! Yes, you are correct, it’s 1/3 cup of honey with 1 cup of water. Please let me know if you give this a try! Cheers!
“combine water and honey (about 1/3 of a cup) in a small pot”
Is it 1/3 cup of honey or 1/3 tbsp? You have both listed in different parts. Please be a bit more thorough with your recipes. Which is correct?
Hi Wren,
You will want to use 1/3 cup of honey with 1 cup of water. Sorry for any confusion. I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
Your upper part says 1/3 cup of honey with the water and the bottom part says 1/3 tablespoon. Which is it? Why are there so many errors in these?
So sorry, Chris! The recipe is 1/3 cup of honey with 1 cup of water.
Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
You have written “Combine equal parts water and honey in a small pot” but then you also say “ In a small to medium pot, bring 1 cup water to a boil with the honey”.
Can you please clarify which is correct and update your recipe to reflect that?
Hi Erin,
So sorry for any confusion, the recipe card is correct, I have fixed the narrative portion:)
I hope you love this recipe! Cheers!
Thank you, but now it says “ Combine water and honey (about 1/3 of a cup) in a small pot.”
Is it 1/3 cup of honey or 1/3 tablespoon?
It’s 1/3 cup of honey:)
This sounds INCREDIBLE!
Thanks so much, Yolanda! Cheers!
Could you use another spirit? Not a vodka fan, Gin or Tequila??!
Hi Jackie,
Totally, either of those would work here as well!
Let me know if you have any other questions! Cheers!
Hi Tieghan, Question: for the syrup you mention equal parts water and honey, but in the recipe you state 1 cup of water and 1/3 TBSP of honey. Which is correct? Thanks!
Hey Janet,
My apologies, the recipe card is correct as written. I fixed the written description above:)
Let me know if you give this recipe a try! Cheers!