Cranberry Gin Cocktail Recipe
I am a big fan of Christmas cocktails as they don’t only taste heavenly but also are aesthetically appealing with bright crystal-like colors. One of my favorite drink during the holiday season is Cranberry Gin Cocktail.
It’s a simple drink that only take a few drink and is packed with flavor. It also matches the color theme for Christmas celebrations with a bright red color, and green from rosemary garnishing.
This recipe is perfect for family celebrations, movie nights with family, and dinners. The drink is so easy to make that you can easily make it whenever you are craving a refreshing fruity cocktail. I prepare cranberry sauce beforehand during the holiday season, so I can easily shake the sauce with alcohol and serve it chilled.
Here’s what you will need to make the cocktail:
- Cranberry syrup
- Gin of your choice
- Lime juice
- Soda water or tonic water
It seems most Christmas cocktails are very complicated with a large list of ingredients, but the cranberry gin cocktail is easy to make with a few ingredients. I love that this recipe is so simple and looks absolutely great to look at.
What’s great about it is that you can prepare cranberry syrup at home, store it in your fridge throughout the holiday season, and keep making this delicious cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 measure Gin
- 10 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh cranberries
- 150 ml cranberry juice
- Mint leaves
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Take a glass and fill it with ice cubes.
- Add gin, lemon juice, and cranberry juice. Stir well, and adjust the taste according to your liking.
- Garnish with mint leaves, and a few cranberries.
Add-ons and variations
- You can freeze cranberries and coat them in sugar before putting them on skewers. Just drop it in the drink, instead of adding cranberries to the glass.
- The Cranberry gin cocktail goes great with the addition of tonic water.
- Garnish the glass with lime wedges and your gorgeous Christmas cocktail is ready.
- If gin is not your favorite alcohol, you can substitute it, but this cocktail goes best with gin. Even still, you can replace the gin with vodka. Cranberry vodka soda is equally delicious.
- To make a large batch of 8 servings, just increase the number of ingredients. I recommend using 2 1/2 cups of gin, 1 1/2 cups of cranberry syrup, and 1/2 cup of lime juice. Add 3 cups of tonic water before serving, and viola, you have cocktails ready for everyone.
How to make cranberry syrup at home for cocktails
This cocktail is super easy to make, but getting your hands on cranberry juice all around the year might be difficult. This is why I usually prepare cranberry syrup at home and store it in the refrigerator for cocktails.
The syrup is easy to make at home. All you need to do is simmer fresh cranberries, with sugar and water. Just take all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, lower the flame and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Press down the cranberries to extract all the juice. Strain the mixture and store it in a mason jar or an airtight jar in the refrigerator for several months.
As the syrup grows cold, it will start to thicken. You can use it to make cocktails, mojitos, and cranberry tarts. It also goes well as a topping for waffles, and pancakes.
More cocktail recipes to try
Here are some other cocktails and liqueurs to try at home:
