Looking for a light, refreshing holiday cocktail? Try this Cranberry Gin Fizz.
There’s a healthy splash of club soda in this cocktail, so even though it contains gin, it’s a relatively low alcohol level and a great drink to serve at holiday or dinner parties. Think of it as a spiked, gently flavored cranberry soda!
How to Make a Cranberry Gin Fizz
This Cranberry Gin Fizz is easy to make and only requires four ingredients, all of which you can find at your local grocery and liquor stores. To jazz things up, I also added sugared cranberries and a spring of fresh rosemary. I love the pop of color both ingredients provide, and the sugar on the cranberries reminds me of freshly fallen snow. I always like to garnish my cocktails because it really elevates the presentation, especially if you’re hosting a party.
Here’s how to make this Cranberry Gin Fizz holiday cocktail with sugared cranberries.
Ingredients
- Your favorite gin
- Cranberry juice
- A lemon
- Club soda
- Sugared cranberries, recipe below
- Fresh rosemary, for garnishing
How to Make a Cranberry Gin Fizz
Fill your cocktail glass with ice (I like these ice cube molds), then pour in one ounce of gin. Then, add about 1.5 oz. of cranberry juice. Give your glass a quick stir to combine. Taking a lemon wedge, add a big squeeze of fresh juice, then top with club soda. You can pour about three to five ounces of the club soda, but it’s really taste preference. Start with the least amount first, because you can always add club soda to dilute the flavor. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary, add a generous scoop of the sugared cranberries, and voila!
How to Make the Sugared Cranberries
I like to make a big batch of sugared cranberries at once because you can basically use them to garnish to any drink as well as holiday desserts. These will last for a few days at room temperature, but I prefer to store them in the fridge.
What You’ll Need
- Fresh cranberries
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Strainer or slotted spoon
- Cookie sheet
Instructions
In a saucepan, add the water and sugar in a 1:1 ratio. (AKA, 1 cup of sugar for everyone 1 cup of water.) For a small batch of sugared cranberries, use ½ cup each. Heat to a boil and stir frequently until the sugar has completely melted. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the simple syrup cool to room temperature. This is an important step because you don’t want your cranberries to get soggy!
Once the syrup has cooled, add your fresh cranberries. Using a strainer or a slotted spoon, empty the cranberries from the saucepan to a cookie sheet. Make sure your cranberries are spread out in a single layer. Let the cranberries sit for about an hour; you want the syrup to dry, but still be a bit tacky to grab onto the sugar crystals.
BONUS: Don’t throw out the simple syrup! Store it in the fridge to and use it to make other cocktails or another batch of sugared cranberries.
Finally, roll the cranberries in sugar so they’re fully covered for a sparkling, snowy look.
