Cranberry Cocktail

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and the perfect day for a cocktail. I have been making this cranberry cocktail for years. I like it because I can make half the batch spiked and and half the batch virgin. The cranberry juice makes it look so festive, but it is not too sweet.

You start by making ginger simple syrup. After you strain out the ginger pieces, don’t throw them away. It is basically candied ginger and tastes so good dropped into a cup of tea.

Cranberry Cocktail

1/4 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 inch piece of Fresh Ginger, Chopped

3 Cups Cranberry Juice (not unsweetened)

1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice (from 3-4 limes)

Seltzer Water

1/4-1/2 Cup Vodka (optional)

Fresh Cranberries (optional for garnish)

Directions

Make the ginger simple syrup:

In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and chopped ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain the ginger pieces out (I like to put the candied ginger in tea.)

Mix the Cocktail Base:

In a large pitcher, combine ginger syrup, cranberry juice, and lime juice.

If you want to add the vodka, add 1/2 cup to the mixture. Or, you can divide the cocktail base in half and add 1/4 cup to half of the cranberry mixture so you can serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails.

Serve the Cocktail:

To serve the cocktail, pour 1/3 cup of the cranberry base mix into a champagne flute. Top with 1/4 cup of seltzer water and a few fresh cranberries.