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.
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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 sophisticated and elegant, 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 holiday 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 Maker’s Mark, Elijah Craig, Four Roses or Buffalo Trace.
Spiced cranberry simple 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.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: We grab an old fashioned glass and add bourbon, spiced cranberry simple syrup and a few dashes of our orange bitters (photos 1-3).
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 4). 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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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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.
Nutrition
Google Web Story: Cranberry Old Fashioned
Veronika Sykorova says
I love a good simple cocktail. This one was a hit this weekend! Those orange bitters are my favorite!
sara says
This would be perfect for sipping by the fire with someone special this winter. I love a good old fashioned, and can't resist trying a tasty twist on them!
Tammy says
The rosemary and the bitters add such a beautiful depth of flavor to this cocktail. Looks wonderful!
LaKita says
This cranberry old fashioned is so refreshing and the perfect cocktail to make and share this holiday season!
Veronika says
This is a perfect holiday drink! Going to make it next weekend for a family dinner!
Kayla DiMaggio says
Loving this spiced cranberry old fashioned! It was delicious!
Jessica says
That spiced cranberry syrup sounds so good. I love all the warming spices. This is going to be the perfect nightcap for Christmas eve.
Liz says
I love the look of the sugared cranberries on top! How festive! Excited to give this drink a try!
Bernice says
We did some taste testing this weekend for a party we'll be hosting next weekend and this cocktail was the winner. I can't wait to serve it to my guests!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
That's so awesome to hear, Bernice! Glad you love it as much as I do.
Colleen says
We made these on the weekend for friends and everyone loved them! I will be making these again over the holidays. Thanks for sharing!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You are so welcome!
Katherine says
This is going straight onto my holiday party cocktail list!
Tania says
This is such a perfect combination of flavours and textures. Everyone absolutely loved it! Thank you for a great recipe.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so glad to hear it, Tania!
Lucy says
This cocktail is perfect for the holidays and Christmas season. Full of classic festive flavours and spices.
Dana Sandonato says
This was so nice! I'm actually not a bourbon drinker at all. I usually have a hard time getting it down, lol. But we had some in our booze cabinet and had some friends over, so I decided to give these a go, and it's amazing what a few mixer can do. Fabulous recipe!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
I'm so glad to hear that, Dana! You might also enjoy some bourbon smashes if you're looking to try more bourbon cocktails. It includes fruit, syrup, citrus and an herb, so the bourbon isn't too overwhelming.
Natalie says
I love this. Looks festive and perfect for Holidays. I'm adding this to my list. Have to make it for Christmas!
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
You should! Have a happy Christmas and holiday season!