Spiced Cranberry Bourbon Sour

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This is for you, whiskey lovers — meet the spiced cranberry bourbon sour that will be your new favorite holiday cocktail! Made with a fresh cranberry simple syrup infused with orange zest, this frothy cranberry whiskey cocktail perfectly balances tart notes with caramel-like bourbon for one complex drink. You’ll want to make this your signature cocktail all throughout the holiday season.

A spiced cranberry bourbon sour on a wooden board with candles and sugared cranberries around it.

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Expert Tips
Perfect Pairing
Looking for More Holiday Cranberry Cocktails?
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

That spiced cranberry simple syrup: This isn't any cranberry simple syrup. My cranberry simple syrup includes a medley of warm spices and fresh orange zest to ramp up the flavor. You'll want to add it to every holiday cocktail.

Oh-so smooth bourbon, how we love you: With the cranberry and fresh lemon, this cocktail has plenty of tart notes, but then ultra smooth bourbon whiskey with its vanilla and caramel flavors add a beautiful richness.

Makes an impressive presentation: Thanks to that frothy topping, this cranberry bourbon sour is as lovely as it is delicious. When entertaining during the holiday season, it's all about ambiance, and this festive cocktail perfectly sets the mood and makes you look like an expert mixologist.

Perfect from the early days of fall through New Year’s Eve: This is such a fun but busy time of year. Let's make your life easier by giving you a signature cocktail that works, so you don't have to spend this hectic time searching for a new recipe for every occasion. Make this your go-to cranberry whiskey cocktail.

Bonus: You clearly love seasonal drinks, so you may also want to check out my collection of best Thanksgiving cocktails and festive Christmas cocktails!

Ingredients

And now let's chat about a few recipe notes.

Cranberry simple syrup: My homemade cranberry syrup includes water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, cloves and orange zest. Could you skip the spices and orange zest? Sure, but I don't recommend it -- those ingredients are what makes this cocktail so special.

Bourbon: Don't feel like you need to spend a fortune. A good mid-range bourbon is perfect. Maker's Mark, Elijah Craig, Buffalo Trace and Four Roses distill delicious options.

Bitters: I just love the flavor of orange with cranberry, so I like to use orange bitters. That said, if you only have angostura bitters on hand, which is more common, that works just fine.

Egg white: If you're new to mixology, an egg white may seem strange, but it's actually a common cocktail ingredient. This is what gives us that frothy, silky topping. Don't worry -- you can't taste it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: We grab our trusty cocktail shaker and add the bourbon, spiced cranberry simple syrup, bitters, fresh lemon juice and egg white (photo 1).

Adding the spiced cranberry simple syrup to a cocktail shaker.

Step 2: Now we put on the top and shake for 30 seconds (photo 2). You'll notice I didn't mention ice. This is called a dry shake, which we want to do first when making an egg white cocktail to whip in more air and create an even frothier topping.

Doing a dry shake of the cocktail without the ice.

Step 3: Now we take off the top and add a handful of ice (photo 3). After adding some air, we're ready to chill our cocktail because no one wants a room-temperature drink.

Adding ice to the cocktail shaker after the dry shake.

Step 4: And now we give it another shake (photo 4). For cocktails without egg white, 15-30 seconds of shake time is standard. However, we're still building that frothy topping. Plan to shake for at least a minute, but don't be afraid to go up to two minutes. It will be worth it when you pour out that heavenly topping.

Shaking the cocktail the second time with the ice to chill.

Step 5: And just like that, we're ready to strain our spiced cranberry bourbon whiskey sour into a chilled glass. Now toast to this festive time of year!

Related: And for more sour cocktails, check out my maple whiskey sour, Aperol sour, tequila sour and rum sour.

The cranberry bourbon sour with sugared cranberries and decor around it.

Recipe FAQs

What’s the difference between bourbon and whiskey?

All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. According to the American Bourbon Association, bourbon must be distilled from at least 51 percent corn while whiskey can come from a single grain. The corn gives bourbon its signature sweeter flavor, and then the other grains used add a level of complexity.

After distilling, bourbon must be aged in new charred oak barrels with no additives for at least two years. Other whiskeys, however, can age in used barrels and contain coloring and flavor additives.

Could you substitute a whiskey for bourbon in this recipe? Absolutely. But bourbon is my personal favorite choice.

Is it safe to use raw egg whites in drinks?

Inevitably, a raw egg white comes with some risk, but rest assured, it’s minimal. To safely use egg whites in cocktail recipes, buy inspected eggs with no cracks and keep them in the original container toward the back of the refrigerator. Pasteurized eggs also offer extra safety precaution.

Of course, you can always skip the egg whites if you don't feel comfortable using them. You won't get the frothy topping, but it will still be a delicious cocktail. If you go that route, you can skip the dry shake and only shake with ice for 15-30 seconds.

Can you make ahead of time?

The egg white topping must be made right before serving; however, you can make the cocktail base ahead of time. That way, you can more quickly whip up batches if serving a few friends. You can find proportions and directions in the notes section of the recipe card.

What's the best glassware for a sour cocktail?

You can't go wrong with a sour glass. These glasses are designed with an outwardly curved edge to guide that egg white topping to slide onto your tongue and push the fragrance to your nose. Plus, they're oh-so pretty!

That said, a coupe glass and even a martini glass work just fine as substitutes.

How do you chill a cocktail glass?

To chill your serving glass, I like to rely on two methods -- one requires some planning ahead, and the other works if you whip up a cocktail on a whim.

If you have some time, place the glass in the freezer 30 minutes before serving. Alternatively, you can fill the glass with cold water and ice as you mix the cocktail. After mixing the cocktail, stir the ice water for 30 seconds and then dump. Now you have a perfectly chilled glass.

Expert Tips

Cranberries are only available October through January, but you can throw a few bags of cranberries in your freezer to make this cocktail year-round. No need to thaw before making the simple syrup.
Feel free to make the cranberry simple syrup well ahead of time. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.
You really want to use freshly squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled juice. The bottle juice isn't nearly as bright, and for a good sour, we want those full tart notes.
Before juicing the lemon, firmly roll it on the countertop a few times. This helps get the juice flowing. Also, pick a lemon that has a little give to it when you squeeze it to ensure to not too dried out.
Some cocktail shakers don't seal very well without ice. If your cocktail shaker leaks during the dry shake, you might want to wrap a kitchen towel around it for the first shake.
If you love this drink, make sure you also try my cranberry old fashioned!

Perfect Pairing

You cannot go wrong with my Christmas roast duck with cranberry-orange glaze with this spiced cranberry bourbon sour. Duck is a rich meat that demands a drink that can hold up to its bold, gamey flavor, and bourbon is up to the job. The cranberry glaze also makes for an obvious match.

My apple cider short ribs and apple cider pot roast are also delicious pairings. Like the duck, both are big meats, and the spice from the apple cider is perfect with the cranberry and orange.

For the perfect holiday whiskey drink, I hope you try my spiced cranberry bourbon sour. It's sure to be a hit at all your festive gatherings.

Cheers!

A close-up shot of the cranberry bourbon sour with candles and decor to the side.

Looking for More Holiday Cranberry Cocktails?

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Google Web Story: Cranberry Whiskey Sour