United States

Cape Codder

Also known as Cape Cod, Vodka Cranberry

A simple, tall vodka-and-cranberry highball that leans tart and fruity with a clean spirit backbone.

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ABV

Difficulty

Overview

What this drink is like

The first sip is sharp and tart from the cranberry, with a faint sweetness that rounds out the middle. Vodka adds a clean, slightly warming bite underneath but stays out of the way. The finish is short, fruity, and a little astringent, leaving your mouth feeling like you just ate a fresh cranberry.

Who will like it

For people who like easy-drinking, fruit-forward cocktails without strong spirit flavor or bitter notes.

When to drink

This is a daytime or warm-weather drink—serve it at a cookout or brunch when you want something cold and low-effort.

Ordering tip

Ask for a squeeze of fresh lime if the bar uses bottled cranberry juice, since the acid keeps the drink from tasting flat.

Ice: CubedTemp: ColdCost: $1–$3Glass: HighballBatch-friendlyHome bar friendly

Flavor

Taste profile

This is a straightforward, tart fruit drink with a clean vodka base that mostly stays out of the way. The cranberry hits you right away with a sharp, sour push, backed by just enough sweetness to keep it from puckering your mouth completely. Fresh lime juice brightens the whole thing up and adds a little zing on the finish. It is light, cold, and very easy to drink, with no deep flavors to untangle—just tart berry and a mild warming bite from the spirit underneath.

Finish: The finish is short and a little astringent, leaving a tart cranberry tang and a clean vodka warmth behind.

Primary tastes

sourfruity

Secondary

sweet

Aroma

bright cranberryfresh lime zest

Bitternesslow bitterness
Cranberry brings a faint astringent bite at the end, but there is no real bitterness in the drink.
Sweetnessmoderately sweet
The cranberry juice adds a solid amount of sugar, but the lime and the tart nature of the berry keep it from getting cloying.
Sournessfairly tart
Cranberry's natural tartness combined with fresh lime juice gives the drink a sharp, mouth-puckering edge.
Strengthlow strength
A single shot of vodka stretched with a lot of juice makes this a lighter, easy-drinking cocktail.
Refreshingvery refreshing
Cold, tart, and poured over lots of ice, this is about as thirst-quenching as a mixed drink gets.
Complexityvery simple
Three ingredients mean what you taste is what you get—there are no hidden layers or evolving flavors.

Recipe

Make it at home

Built · Highball · equal parts on Vodka. null

Before you start

Pull a tall glass from the cabinet and fill your ice tray ahead of time if you're making a few—this drink goes down fast so you'll want cold backup ready.

Ingredients

VodkaBase Spirit45ml
Cranberry JuiceJuice100% cranberry juice or cranberry juice cocktail both work; cocktail juice will make the drink sweeter.120ml
Lime JuiceJuiceFresh squeezed is best to cut the sweetness of bottled cranberry.15ml
Lime WedgeGarnish1 wedge

Garnish: Lime wedge

Tools

Jigger · Measuring
Measuring the vodka and juices so the drink doesn't turn out too weak or too tart.
At home: A shot glass or measuring spoon
Bar Spoon · Mixing
Stirring the drink together after you add the ingredients to the glass.
At home: A long spoon or chopstick
Highball Glass · Serving
Holding the drink and plenty of ice to keep it cold.
At home: Any tall glass like a pint glass or mason jar
Citrus Press · optional · Garnish
Squeezing the fresh lime juice quickly and getting all the juice out.
At home: Your hands or a fork twisted inside the lime half

Steps

1
Fill a highball glass to the top with ice cubes. You want the ice sitting right at the rim so the drink chills fast and stays cold.
!Under-filling the glass with ice makes the drink warm up and get watery too fast.
2
Pour 45ml vodka over the ice. It will pool at the bottom of the glass, which is fine—you'll mix it in a moment.
3
Add 120ml cranberry juice and 15ml fresh lime juice to the glass. The lime juice cuts the sweetness and makes the cranberry taste brighter.
!Skipping the fresh lime makes the drink taste flat and cloying, especially with cocktail cranberry juice.
4
Take a bar spoon and stir steadily for about 10 seconds, pulling the spoon up and down through the ice. You'll know you're done when the glass feels cold to the touch and the red liquid looks even from top to bottom.
~10s
!Stirring too fast or churning the ice makes small chips that melt and water down the drink.
5
Place a lime wedge on the rim of the glass. Give it a quick squeeze over the top of the drink right before you take a sip for an extra hit of acid.

Serve

Serve it right away while the glass is still frosty. The ice will slowly melt as you drink, keeping it cold without diluting it too badly if you pace yourself.

Variations

Ingredient substitutions

Each row shows what you can swap in place of an original ingredient, and how the drink changes.

Swap options for Cranberry Juice

Cranberry JuiceCranberry Juice Cocktail
Match
Common availability
Cranberry Juice → Cranberry Juice Cocktail: Makes the drink noticeably sweeter and less tart, since cocktail juice has added sugar.
Cranberry JuicePomegranate Juice
Match
Common availability
Cranberry Juice → Pomegranate Juice: Adds a deeper, earthier fruit flavor and slightly more sweetness while keeping the tart edge.

Swap options for Vodka

VodkaGin
Match
Common availability
Vodka → Gin: Adds herbal and pine notes that clash a bit with the cranberry but create a more complex drink.
VodkaWhite Rum
Match
Common availability
Vodka → White Rum: Brings a faint sugarcane sweetness that blends smoothly with the cranberry and softens the tartness.

Similar cocktails

Cousin drinks that share DNA with this one — each profile stands on its own.

Similar cocktail

Sea Breeze

The Sea Breeze adds grapefruit juice, which introduces a bitter citrus note missing from the Cape Codder.

Match

Both drinks are cold, tart vodka highballs, but the Sea Breeze has a bitter, drier edge from the grapefruit that makes it less straightforwardly sweet.

In common: Built highball, vodka base, fruit-forward, tart and refreshing

Ingredients

Both share

Vodka, Cranberry Juice

Only in Cape Codder

Lime Juice

Only in Sea Breeze

Grapefruit Juice

The Sea Breeze swaps out the lime juice for grapefruit juice, adding a bitter citrus layer that the Cape Codder lacks entirely.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Tart cranberry backbone, clean vodka base, refreshing highball style

How Sea Breeze differs

Bitter citrus edge, slightly drier finish

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Screwdriver

The Screwdriver uses orange juice instead of cranberry, making it sweeter and less tart.

Match

The Screwdriver is sweeter and softer with a thicker mouthfeel from the orange juice, while the Cape Codder is sharper and more astringent.

In common: Built highball, vodka base, juice-forward, simple two-ingredient build

Ingredients

Both share

Vodka

Only in Cape Codder

Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice

Only in Screwdriver

Orange Juice

The Screwdriver replaces the tart cranberry and lime combination with sweet, full-bodied orange juice.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Clean vodka base, juice-dominant flavor, easy-drinking and refreshing

How Screwdriver differs

Sweeter and softer, no tart astringency, heavier mouthfeel

View recipe & details →

Similar cocktail

Madras

The Madras adds orange juice, giving it a sweeter, softer citrus profile than the tart Cape Codder.

Match

The Madras is a sweeter, rounder take on the same idea, using orange juice to mellow the cranberry's sharp edges instead of sharpening them with lime.

In common: Built highball, vodka base, cranberry-forward, tart and fruity

Ingredients

Both share

Vodka, Cranberry Juice

Only in Cape Codder

Lime Juice

Only in Madras

Orange Juice

The Madras swaps the sharp lime juice for sweet orange juice, blending the cranberry with a softer fruit note.

Flavor

Shared flavors

Tart cranberry backbone, clean vodka base, refreshing highball style

How Madras differs

Sweeter citrus profile, softer tartness, fuller body

View recipe & details →

History

Origin

The Cape Codder emerged in the 1940s when cranberry growers began marketing cranberry juice as a cocktail mixer to boost sales. The drink is named after Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a major cranberry-growing region, though no specific bartender or bar is credited with its invention.

Era: 1940s
Confidence

The exact origin year and creator are unknown; the 1940s dating is based on cranberry juice marketing campaigns of that era.

Practical

Tips & pitfalls

What works at home and what to skip when making this drink.

Tips

Worth knowing before you pour

Use 100% cranberry juice instead of cocktail juice for a sharper, less sugary drink.
Always add fresh lime juice to cut through the sweetness of bottled cranberry.
Freeze cranberries and use them as ice cubes for a festive look that keeps the drink cold.

Avoid

Common mistakes

Don't skip the lime juice or the drink will taste flat and one-dimensional.
Don't use cheap vodka that burns, since there's nothing to hide it behind.