This three ingredient cranberry bourbon cocktail is fizzy, refreshing, and perfect for the holidays!
The holidays–and my due date–are just around the corner. I’m so exciting to meet this mystery baby who, evidently, loves tomatoes and pizza (my two biggest cravings), is a morning person (baby is super active at the crack of dawn), and (if the ultrasounds are accurate) has a cute little button nose just like Owen’s. I’m also looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. I mean, of course it’s amazing and wonderful to feel life growing inside you, but…I’m getting pretty uncomfortable at this point. I haven’t been able to run for months, and I miss sushi, prosciutto, gooey unpasturized cheese, and of course–drinks!
That being said, once the baby is here, it’s going to be totally freaking impossible pretty hard to go out to a bar or restaurant for a cocktail with Alex. To be honest, we won’t even have time to go to the liquor store to stock up on our winter faves (red wine and bourbon). That’s why I’m so excited about Drizly, a new alcohol delivery service. Here’s what you do: type in type in what you are looking for (wine, beer, liquor, and mixers) and your address. Drizly will show you what’s available and at what price. Place your order and voila! It’s at your door within the hour. Plus, the Drizly website has tons of recipes from top mixologists and bartenders, celebrity chefs, and food bloggers, like yours truly. (Side note: how amazing does this Clementine Crush sound? Totally making it as soon as this baby is born!)
One of the bourbons that Drizly highly recommends is Bulleit, so I was excited to develop a cocktail with it. Don’t worry, I only had a few tiny sips while testing–Alex enjoyed the fruits of my labor 🙂 I wanted to create something fun and festive for the holiday season, yet simple enough to whip up with basic ingredients in a few minute’s time. After a few attempts, I hit upon this cranberry bourbon cocktail. It’s fizzy, refreshing, lightly sweet, and totally perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond.
I couldn’t resist making my own cranberry sauce, or, for that matter, spiking it with cinnamon and freshly grated ginger. But any cranberry sauce will work well here, homemade or (gasp!) the store-bought kind. Just combine it in a glass with the bourbon and stir until smooth. Then add lots of ice and top it off with ginger ale, or ginger beer for a sharper kick.
Last year Alex and I went to a bar where the drinks were garnished with big wheels of citrus, instead of just a little wedge or a strip of zest. I loved the fragrance and flavor the fruit added, so I’ve been doing it at home ever since. For this recipe, I used orange, but lime, tangerine, or even grapefruit would be lovely too.
Three Ingredient Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
This easy, festive cranberry bourbon cocktail is perfect for the holidays!
Servings 1
Ingredients
For each drink
- 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce or store-bought) homemade (see below
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- Ice
- Ginger ale or ginger beer
- Fresh orange slice optional
For the cranberry sauce
- 6 ounces fresh cranberries 1/2 bag
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
-
In a cocktail glass, stir together the cranberry sauce and bourbon until well combined. Fill the glass with ice and top with ginger ale. Garnish with an orange slice, if desired.
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To make the (optional) homemade cranberry sauce, combine the cranberries, sugar, water, ginger, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries have popped and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. (The sauce will thicken more as it cools.)
Thanks so much to Drizly for sponsoring this post! As always, the opinions and ideas expressed are my own. Be sure to check Drizly out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Christine says
I love recipes that use fresh cranberries. This is a great party drink for the season!
Megan Marlowe says
This cocktail looks like Fall in a glass! Cannot wait to try this bourbon sipper!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
I love the color of this cocktail! It’s so perfect for the holidays.
Anjali @ Vegetarian Gastronomy says
I love cranberries but haven’t cooked with them before! I know…it’s a shame but it’s true! I’m in total need of a drink this week so this sounds like the perfect recipe to try first!
Tracy | Baking Mischief says
What a neat service! That’s a great idea, especially with all the holiday entertaining coming up. One less thing to worry about. 🙂 This cocktail looks amazing. I’m dying to try one with a wedge of lime. Hmmmmm.