The holidays are coming, the holidays are coming! Quick, a cocktail! Get in the mood with this punchy Cranberry Cocktail that’s fresh and sassy as you are. When we make our fresh Cranberry Sauce, we’re sure to sip on one of these while cooking. It’s yet another way to enjoy cranberry, ginger, and orange — a match worthy of a pucker up!
Where the kitchen and the bar intersect
Our favorite cocktails are those where the bar looks to the kitchen to provide fresh ingredients to make cocktails extra-special. Our Cranberry Cocktail is a nod to the Cape Codder (vodka and cranberry), with layers added. It’s always fun to take a classic cocktail and add another note or two. Ginger brings a little kick and orange balances with sweetness.
Ginger simple syrup: for your Cranberry Cocktail and beyond
Make a ginger simple syrup by simmering fresh ginger with sugar and water. In a pinch, use ginger tea (or ginger lemon tea bags.) In fact, you can use extra Ginger Simple with fresh lemon and boiling water for a cold-busting tonic. I also love to use Ginger Simple for a quick homemade chai, or a drizzle in my coffee. Ginger stimulates chi in the body and is an anti-inflammatory. Combine that with the antioxidants and Vitamin C in cranberries and you have a “medicinal” cocktail in more ways than one.
Ingredients
for the ginger simple syrup:
1 cup sugar (or ½ cup honey)
1 cup water
3 to 4-inch nub of ginger, sliced into coins
for the cocktail:
1 orange
1 ounce ginger simple syrup
1½ ounces unsweetened cranberry juice
2 ounces vodka (We use St George Citrus Vodka, but St George "all-purpose" vodka is great, too)
garnish: sparkling water (if desired)
Instructions
Make the simple syrup:
Add the sugar, water, and ginger to a small pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes. Allow the syrup to cool completely before straining. Ginger simple syrup will keep in the fridge in a covered container for several weeks.
Make the Cocktail:
Give the orange a little rinse and scrub, and then cut into quarters. Cut a thin slice off one of the quarters for a cocktail garnish. Squeeze the orange segments into the base of a cocktail shaker, tossing each segment into the cocktail shaker as you do. Grab a muddler and muddle the spent oranges with their juice — this will release the fragrant essential oils from the orange zest into your cocktail.
Next, add the ginger simple syrup, cranberry juice, and vodka. Fill the shaker with ice and shake, shake shake! Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange slice. Cheers to the Holidays!
For more Fall Festive Recipes, check out our theme on this blog. We hope to see you soon at Hipcooks!
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