It is widely debated whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie. I have decided it is an unconventional Christmas movie just so I can name one of my favorite Christmas cocktails after Bruce Willis’s iconic line in the film.

This vegan, gluten-free and soy-free recipe makes 1 cocktail.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon sugar
10 dried cranberries
8 ounces sugar-free lemon lime cranberry soda, chilled
1.5 ounces vodka (bonus if it’s cranberry-flavored)

Instructions
Put the sugar and cranberries into a mortar and pestle, then grind them together until a chunky, sticky paste is formed. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you could also use a blender or food processor to chop your cranberries into fine pieces, then mash them with the sugar in a bowl using a pastry cutter or fork.)

Apply the cranberry sugar paste to the rim of your glass.

Carefully pour in the soda and vodka. (If you don’t have cranberry lemon lime soda available, you can just use lemon lime soda with a splash of cranberry juice, or mix the lemon lime soda with cranberry sparkling water.) Give it a stir.

Don’t worry if a bit of the sugar and cranberry paste fall in, they provide some extra fun fizz to the drink.

Have a sip, sit back and enjoy “Die Hard!”

The Easy Route
I would not be surprised if a liquor company already sells a premade version of this drink that’s available at your local liquor store.

If you know of one of those or a have a restaurant near you that can deliver this cocktail, please share the details in the comments.

The Pairing
“Die Hard” is a staple for anyone who grew up in the late 1980s and early ’90s.

The movie follows John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York City cop who has flown to Los Angeles to be with his estranged wife and kids for Christmas.

He meets up with his wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), at her company’s Christmas party. Some party crashers show up in the form of terrorists led by the very menacing Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman).

A barefoot McClane is the only one around who can save Holly and her coworkers.

Having rewatched this a couple times in the last few years now, it is quite a ride to see Willis’s leap to action movie star. He is just made to be McClane, blending the typical action hero with humor and heart.

As fun as Willis is as McClane, Rickman is absolutely perfect as Gruber, making it no surprise when he popped up as Snape in the Harry Potter films 15 years later.

And Reginald VelJohnson (a.k.a. Carl Winslow on “Family Matters”) absolutely steals the show as the cop who happens to be near the building when Gruber and his goons take over, turning out to be an important sidekick to McClane.

If you decide to make this cocktail and/or watch “Die Hard,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, threads, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes