Spiced Cranberry Bourbon Sour

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 classic Aperol sour, tequila sour and rum sour.

Recipe FAQs

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!

Looking for More Holiday Cranberry Cocktails?

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Spiced Cranberry Bourbon Sour

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.

5 from 43 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Steeping Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 1 drink

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

• ▢
  Small saucepan
• ▢
  Fine-mesh sieve
• ▢
  Cocktail shaker
• ▢
  Citrus juicer

Ingredients

Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup

• ▢ 2 cups fresh cranberries
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 cup white sugar
• ▢ 2 cinnamon sticks
• ▢ 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg preferably freshly grated
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ Pinch of ground cloves

Spiced Cranberry Bourbon Sour

• ▢ 1 egg white
• ▢ 2 ounces bourbon
• ▢ 1 ounce spiced cranberry simple syrup
• ▢ 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 2-3 dashes orange bitters
• ▢ Ice
• ▢ Sugared cranberries for garnish, optional (see notes)

Instructions

Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup

• In a small saucepan, add the cranberries, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves over medium-high heat.
• Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to steep for another 10 minutes.
• Place a bowl under a fine-mesh sieve. Strain the syrup in the fine-mesh sieve. Store the cranberry simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Spiced Cranberry Bourbon Sour

• Add the egg white, bourbon, spiced cranberry simple syrup, lemon juice and bitters to a cocktail shaker with no ice. Put on the top and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
• Remove the top and now add a handful of ice. Place the top back on and shake vigorously for one to two minutes to build up the frothy topping.
• Strain into a chilled sour, coupe or martini glass. Garnish with sugared cranberries if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

• If you'd like to make a 12-serving batch ahead of time, stir together 3 cups bourbon, 1 ½ cups cranberry simple syrup and 1 ½ cups lemon juice together in a pitcher and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to serve, add 4 ounces of the bourbon mixture per drink to the cocktail shaker along with the bitters and egg white. Proceed with the rest of the recipe. I recommend making one to two drinks at a time.
• To make the optional sugared cranberry garnish, add ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water over medium-high heat to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve sugar. Once the sugar dissolves, stir in the cranberries and turn off the heat. Make sure they're well-coated with the simple syrup. On a large plate, spread another ¼ cup sugar. Drain the cranberries and roll in the sugar. Allow to set on a wire rack for about an hour to dry.
• 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.
• 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. 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.
• Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1drink | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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