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December 6, 2018

Chai-Cranberry Bourbon Smash

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Disclosure: The bourbon for this chai-cranberry bourbon smash was provided by Redwood Empire American Whiskey at no charge for my review. All opinions are my own.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stop falalalala’ing with the holidays here, so what better way to get into the spirit than with another festive cocktail? As far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many holiday cocktails in your arsenal. With all the fun gatherings, there’s always an excuse to whip up a good drink, and I promise this chai-cranberry bourbon smash will quickly become a new favorite holiday cocktail.

A chai-cranberry bourbon smash in front of a bottle of bourbon with Christmas string, cranberries and rosemary around it.

We entertain a lot during the holidays, so I’m always trying to come up with new recipes. Sure, I have my favorite go-to recipes that I always like to make each year, but I don’t want to be a one-trick pony. Creating something new keeps me inspired and I had so much fun dreaming up this chai-cranberry bourbon smash.

As we all know by now, I love bourbon. A little bourbon here. A little bourbon there. Clearly, bourbon is my jam, so I knew I needed a holiday bourbon cocktail in my life. Serendipitously, I also made this brown sugar-chai tea simple syrup for a sangria but didn’t use it because the sangria was perfectly sweet without it. So, hey, those two sound perfect together, right?

From there, I added a couple other seasonal ingredients, and just like that, I had the perfect holiday bourbon smash. If that doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit, I don’t know what will.

Two chai-cranberry bourbon smashes on burlap with a candle to the side.
A close-up of a cranberry bourbon smash on burlap with a rosemary garnish.

How to Make

Now let’s get to mixing. To start, you’ll need the brown sugar-chai tea simple syrup, which you can find here. Grab your cocktail shaker and add the cooled simple syrup with fresh cranberries and rosemary and muddle.

Once the cranberries break down, we add some lime wedges and muddle those as well. I like to add the lime wedges separately because if the cocktail shaker is too full, it makes it hard to effectively muddle the cranberries.

An aerial view of two chai bourbon smashes with Christmas string and rosemary around them.

After we muddle, it’s time to add the most important ingredient of all: bourbon. For this chai-cranberry bourbon smash, I used Redwood Empire, which is a blend of 60 percent rye and 40 percent bourbon from Graton Distilling Co., located just west of Sonoma County, California. Graton Distilling ages the blend in port, wine and American oak barrels, making for a bourbon with a slightly spicy character. After the initial spice hits, the bourbon finishes with smooth vanilla and caramel notes. With that delicious flavor profile, I knew Redwood Empire would be perfect for this chai-cranberry bourbon smash.

A bottle of Redwood Empire bourbon with Christmas decor around it.

Now we shake everything together, strain into ice-filled glasses and top with ginger ale for a fizzy kick. I like garnishing with a sprig of rosemary. Not only is this a nod to the drink’s ingredients but rosemary also looks like small Christmas tree branches. And that’s just fun.

Perfect Pairing

With it being the holidays, we need a festive meal to go along with this chai-cranberry bourbon smash, and a roasted duck is perfect. Duck is such a rich meat that it holds up to the bourbon well, and it pairs beautifully with the warm spice.

I hope you get into the holiday spirit and try this chai-cranberry bourbon smash. You will feel oh-so festive sipping on this delicious holiday cocktail. Please let me know how you enjoyed this chai-cranberry bourbon smash recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!

Two holiday bourbon smashes on burlap with festive decor around it.
Two winter bourbon smashes with rosemary and cranberries around them.

Need Some Merry Spirits in Your Life?

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A chai-cranberry bourbon smash in front of a bottle of bourbon with Christmas string, cranberries and rosemary around it.

Chai-Cranberry Bourbon Smash


★★★★★

5 from 15 reviews

  • Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 drink 1x
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Description

Liven up your holiday party with this chai-cranberry bourbon smash. Full of warm spice, this cocktail will have you feeling the holiday spirit in no time.


Scale

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole cranberries
1 ounce brown sugar-chai tea simple syrup
2 rosemary sprigs, divided
1/2 lime, cut into wedges
2 ounces bourbon
Ice
Splash of ginger ale


Instructions

  1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle cranberries, simple syrup and one rosemary sprig until the cranberries breakdown. Add the lime wedges and muddle until they also break down.
  2. Add bourbon and a handful of ice. Place the top on the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. Strain into ice-filled glasses.
  3. Pour in a splash of ginger ale and gently stir. Garnish with the remaining rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
  • Category: Cocktail
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 drink
  • Calories: 297
  • Sugar: 33
  • Sodium: 7
  • Fat: 0
  • Saturated Fat: 0
  • Unsaturated Fat: 0
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 42
  • Fiber: 0
  • Protein: 0
  • Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: bourbon, bourbon smash, cranberry cocktail, chai cocktail

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Previous Post: « Brown Sugar-Chai Tea Simple Syrup
Next Post: Gingerbread Pudding »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sues says

    December 07, 2018 at 5:53 am

    I always love bourbon, too, but the cranberries and the chai flavors make this cocktail absolutely perfect! I’m sure I will be sipping quite a few of these while wrapping presents this holiday season 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:03 pm

      I hope you do! I love wrapping presents, but it definitely makes it a bit more fun.

      Reply
  2. Tisha says

    December 07, 2018 at 6:38 am

    This cocktail looks fantastic! I haven’t had a bourbon drink in a while!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:04 pm

      Good time to change that!

      Reply
  3. Adrianne says

    December 07, 2018 at 7:13 am

    Yes!! I love a good holiday cocktail too!! This one looks fabulous and I can’t wait to try it!! You can never have enough pre-Christmas drinks, cheers to that!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:04 pm

      I couldn’t agree more!

      Reply
  4. Kavita Favelle says

    December 07, 2018 at 10:53 am

    I really like the idea of combining chai flavours with bourbon and cranberry! The warming chai spices are perfect for Christmas season, along with a good bourbon hit and that lift of acidity from the berries!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      For sure! It really is a great combination.

      Reply
  5. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    December 07, 2018 at 11:18 am

    What a delicious looking drink, the perfect tipple for this festive season for sure!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:05 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Gloria says

    December 07, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    Wow so many festive flavours happening in this drink. Perfect for the holiday parties. I know my guest would enjoy this. CHEERS!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:06 pm

      I hope it’s a hit with your guests! 😀

      Reply
  7. April says

    December 07, 2018 at 7:49 pm

    I have tried bourbon in so many dishes before. And I believe that I tried all kinds of bourbon already. But I have never tried the one from Redwood Empire American Whiskey – need to try it!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:06 pm

      You definitely should! It makes for some tasty cocktails.

      Reply
  8. Stine Mari says

    December 07, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    I love bourbon too, especially during the Winter months of the year. This drink looks and sounds so festive, and I love the aroma of adding rosemary to drinks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:06 pm

      Right? Perfect time of year for a good bourbon cocktail.

      Reply
  9. Cheese Curd In Paradise says

    December 07, 2018 at 11:55 pm

    What a beautiful and perfectly seasonal cocktail. I love the chi and the cranberry notes in the drink.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:07 pm

      Thank you! It really is fun for this time of year.

      Reply
  10. Jacqueline Debono says

    December 08, 2018 at 4:34 pm

    I love boubon straight up and have never had it in a cocktail, but think that needs to change because this sounds delicious and so festive!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:07 pm

      Now is a good time to change that!

      Reply
  11. Maddy says

    December 08, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    Oh yum! These pictures are absolutely beautiful and make me wish I had everything to make a bourbon smash right now. Saving this one for later. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      Awww, thank you so much!

      Reply
  12. Bev says

    December 09, 2018 at 3:07 am

    This looks crazy good! I love all the flavours – it is so festive! Your photos are stunning by the way!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      Thanks for the kind words, Bev!

      Reply
  13. Anna Hettick says

    December 10, 2018 at 3:10 am

    Oh your photos are SO GORGEOUS!! this looks like such a delicious drink!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:08 pm

      Thank you! That’s so nice of you.

      Reply
  14. Mirlene says

    December 10, 2018 at 4:44 am

    First of all, I love your pictures. They are just screaming for me to grab the glass from the screen. This is the type of drink you want to have to either entertain or cuddle on the couch and watch a nice movie. I will be trying this soon. Can’t wait!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      Thank you so much! That’s always the goal. 🤗

      Reply
  15. Kelly Anthony says

    December 10, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    This chai cranberry bourbon smash looks beautiful. It will be perfect for serving to all my bourbon loving friends this holiday season.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:09 pm

      Thank you! I’m sure they’ll love it.

      Reply
  16. Renu says

    December 10, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Bourbon with Rosemary looks an awesome combination. A must try for the Christmas party this year. The pics are just mind blowing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      Thank you! I really appreciate that.

      Reply
  17. Krista Price says

    December 11, 2018 at 12:39 am

    I’m loving all of these festive cocktail recipes! There are so many amazing flavors in this one! Rosemary and bourbon are a match made in craft cocktail heaven. You really nailed it with this one!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      ‘Tis the season as they say! 😀🥃

      Reply
  18. Gingey Bites says

    December 11, 2018 at 12:03 pm

    This sounds lovely, and very festive. My other half is a bourbon fan so I’m sure he’d love to try it!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 11, 2018 at 5:11 pm

      I hope he does! I’m sure he’ll love it.

      Reply
  19. Kari Heron says

    December 11, 2018 at 7:13 pm

    This looks like a really fun holiday cocktail! Chai, bourbon and cranberry. Love the colour too. Beautiful photography 😀

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 14, 2018 at 5:26 pm

      Thanks so much! Holiday cocktails are always fun to shoot. 😀

      Reply
  20. Chef Mireille says

    December 13, 2018 at 1:37 am

    the flavors of chai in anything makes me an instant fan and I am sure I would love this cocktail!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 14, 2018 at 5:26 pm

      I hope you try it and love it!

      Reply
  21. Stephanie Simmons says

    December 20, 2018 at 10:44 pm

    This is a gorgeous holiday cocktail for certain! I’d love to try this out for our Christmas party 🙂

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 21, 2018 at 2:43 pm

      Oh, I hope you do! It’d be perfect for the occasion.

      Reply
  22. Lauren Schmidt says

    December 02, 2019 at 2:04 am

    Made this tonight with my husband. We will be making these regularly this holiday season! They were soooo good!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 02, 2019 at 7:09 pm

      I love hearing this, Lauren! So glad you two enjoyed it. Cheers!

      Reply

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About Me

I'm a Denver-based lady and believe life is best spent with comforting meals, tasty beverages and good company. When I'm not playing in the kitchen, I'm probably exploring new breweries with my husband, Matt, or obsessing over my adorable dog, Baylor. Read More…

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