Put an extra festive touch to your holiday cocktail menu with this spiced cranberry old fashioned! Prepared with a fresh cranberry-spice simple syrup and citrusy orange bitters, this holiday old fashioned is filled with the season’s best flavors, and it couldn’t be easier to make. This is one cocktail you’ll want to make all holiday season long.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The most cozy, festive holiday old fashioned: With the spiced cranberry simple syrup and warming bourbon, this is the perfect cocktail for snuggling up by the fire during the chilly fall nights and even through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.
Easy for home bartenders of all skill levels: An old fashioned is a sophisticated and elegant classic cocktail, so it might seem intimidating to make. But you’ll see the process couldn’t be easier, and this spiced cranberry old fashioned will make you look like an expert mixologist to all your friends and family.
Make-ahead and bulk mixing options: If you’re hosting a holiday party, you want to sit back and relax, not play bartender all night. I included a make-ahead option as well as a method for batching several cocktails at a time to ensure easy entertaining.
Bonus: If you love this Christmas old fashioned, make sure you also try my spiced cranberry bourbon sour! My gingerbread old fashioned and peanut butter old fashioned are also wonderful options.
Ingredients
Bourbon: There’s no need to grab the most expensive bottle here. A good-quality, mid-range bourbon is perfect, such as Bulleit Bourbon, Maker’s Mark, Elijah Craig, Four Roses or Buffalo Trace.
Spiced cranberry simple syrup: Rather than the traditional sugar cube, we sweeten our drink with a spiced cranberry syrup. To make this syrup, you’ll need fresh cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon sticks, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and fresh orange zest.
Orange bitters: I’m a sucker for the classic cranberry-orange flavor combination, so I couldn’t resist adding more bright citrus. That said, you could substitute the orange for spiced bitters, like a ginger or cardamom variety, or you could go with the classic angostura bitters.
Optional garnishes: I love to give this drink a pretty touch with candied rosemary and cranberries. To make these, simply brush the cranberries and a sprig of rosemary with plain simple syrup, generously sprinkle with sugar and allow to fully dry on a wire rack. An orange twist is also a nice touch.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup
Step 1: We begin by adding a cup of sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium-high heat with fresh cranberries, orange zest and the spices (photo 1).
Step 2: When the mixture comes to a boil, we reduce the heat and allow it to simmer. After 10 minutes, we turn off the heat and let the spices steep (photo 2).
Step 3: Now we place a bowl under a fine-mesh sieve in the sink and strain the mixture (photo 3). What's left in the bowl is our syrup. As long as we store it in a sterile, airtight container in the refrigerator, it should last for several weeks. And just like that, we're ready to start on our cranberry old fashioned cocktail.
Cranberry Old Fashioned
Step 1: We grab an old fashioned glass and add the bourbon, homemade cranberry simple syrup and a few dashes of bitters (photos 4-6).
Step 2: For a perfectly chilled old fashioned, we drop in our ice, preferably one large ice cube, and give the bourbon mixture a good stir with a bar spoon to add a little dilution (photo 7). About 15-20 stirs does the trick.
Step 3: All that’s left is to garnish! I like to twist an orange peel over the glass to catch those fragrant oils and then add sugared cranberries and candied rosemary for a pretty wintry touch.
Now sit back, enjoy this festive time of year and sip away on this delicious holiday bourbon cocktail.
Recipe FAQs
Bourbon and rye are the traditional whiskeys used in an old fashioned. My favorite is bourbon. Thanks to its majority corn makeup, bourbon is sweeter with caramel and vanilla notes. Rye, however, has a spicier finish, so it can certainly work here if you prefer to use that.
Bitters are a botanical-infused liquor. These botanicals include everything from spices and fruits to herbs, roots, leaves, seeds and even bark. Bitters add a complexity to a cocktail and balance out the flavors. Keep in mind, bitters are strong, so two to three dashes are all you need.
You can generally find bitters near the mixers in the store, and all sorts of varieties are available online from retailers, such as Fee Brothers.
You sure can. Simply stir together the bourbon, simple syrup, bitters and a little water to act as the dilution and store covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. You can find the exact proportions in the notes section of the recipe card.
Expert Tips
Adjust to suit your taste: An old fashioned isn't overly sweet, so we don't use very much cranberry simple syrup. That said, if you'd like more spiced-cranberry flavor, you can always add a smidge more syrup.
Get the right supplies: When making one old fashioned at a time, prepare it directly in the rocks glass. If you’d like to prepare multiple old fashioned cocktails at a time, however, a mixing glass is traditional, or you could even use a pitcher if you’re serving a large crowd.
Use one big ice cube: You can use regular ice cubes if you don’t have a large-ice mold, but you’ll get a bit more dilution. If you love making an old fashioned at home, I think it’s well worth the small investment, and you can get them on Amazon.
Plan ahead for preparing garnishes: If you plan to garnish with the sugared cranberries and fresh rosemary, prepare them at least an hour ahead of time to give them time to dry.
Perfect Pairing
If you're enjoying this spiced cranberry cocktail as a before-dinner drink, you'll love it with my holiday pretzel bites stuffed with Brie and cranberry sauce. Brie and bourbon pair beautifully as the cheese's big, creamy body stands up well to the bold liquor, and its mild flavor complements the bourbon's sweet notes perfectly.
That said, if you'd like to drink this cranberry bourbon cocktail with dinner, you can't go wrong with my Christmas roast duck. This holiday duck is served with a cranberry-orange glaze to mimic our signature fruit's flavor, and that rich, bold duck meat can match the intensity of the bourbon.
For a festive holiday whiskey cocktail, I hope you try this spiced cranberry old fashioned. You will love every delicious sip.
Cheers!
Looking for More Cranberry Cocktails?
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📖 Recipe
Spiced Cranberry Old Fashioned
Equipment
- Old fashioned glass
- Bar spoon
Ingredients
Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup 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 Old Fashioned
- 2 ounces bourbon
- ¼ ounce spiced cranberry simple syrup about 1 teaspoon
- 2-3 dashes of orange bitters
- 1 large ice cube
- Orange twist for garnish, optional
- Sugared cranberries for garnish, optional
- Candied rosemary for garnish, optional
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 Old Fashioned
- Pour the bourbon and spiced cranberry simple syrup into an old fashioned glass. Add orange bitters. Stir to combine.
- Add a large ice cube to the glass. Stir about 15-20 times to chill and just slightly dilute the mixture.
- If desired, garnish with an orange twist, sugared cranberries and candied rosemary. Enjoy!
Notes
- An old fashioned isn't overly sweet, so we don't use very much cranberry simple syrup. That said, you're more than welcome to add more to suit your taste and add more cranberry-spice flavor.
- You can use regular ice cubes if you don’t have a large-ice mold, but you’ll get a bit more dilution. If you love making an old fashioned at home, I think it’s well worth the small investment, and you can get them on Amazon.
- If you plan to garnish with the sugared cranberries and rosemary, prepare them at least an hour ahead of time to give them time to dry.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Sara Welch says
Love a good cocktail with a kick! Easily, the best way to wind down at the end of the day!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
No argument here!
Kristen Wood says
This was so amazing! It will definitely be on regular rotation from here on out. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 🙂
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You are so welcome!
Andrea says
I love this recipe idea so much. Any suggestions on how to make this into a mocktail?
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Hey, Andrea! For a mocktail, your best bet is to use a non-alcoholic bourbon. Here's a list of some non-alcoholic whiskey options!
Kathryn says
I had leftover cranberries from the holidays and I'm so glad I made this. It gave the old fashioned great flavor and I want to make this again for Valentine's Day 🙂 thanks for another great cocktail recipe!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
This would be wonderful for Valentine's Day! So glad you loved it.
Holley says
This was so delightful over the holidays! I just loved that spiced cranberry simple syrup -- really made for a delicious drink. Yum!