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Two spiced cranberry old fashioned cocktails with lights and sugared cranberries to the side.
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Spiced Cranberry Old Fashioned

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.
Course Beverages
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Steeping Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 1 drink
Calories 201kcal

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
  • 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!

Video

Notes

When making one cranberry 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. To make a 12-serving batch, use 3 cups bourbon, ¼ cup spiced cranberry simple syrup, ⅓ cup water (to account for dilution) and ¾ ounce bitters. Stir together and store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  • 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

Serving: 1drink | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 93mg | Sugar: 18g | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg