Vixen Cranberry Cocktail
- Yield: 12-16 servings
During the holiday season, poor-quality cranberry juice too often ruins an otherwise excellent cocktail, so Ryan Goodspeed set out to make his own. It’s a breeze to put together, dazzles with tartness, and entices with a wintery perfume of fresh rosemary. Bitter Aperol and a touch of simple syrup and lemon tie the satin bow on this festive recipe.
Ingredients
- Rosemary-Infused Cranberry Juice:
- 4 (12-ounce) bags frozen cranberries
- 8cups water
- 10 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Simple Syrup:
- 1cup water
- 1cup granulated sugar
- Cocktail:
- 3cups vodka
- 1 1/2cups rosmary-infused cranberry juice
- 1cup Aperol
- 1/2cup simple syrup
- 1/4cup fresh lemon juice
- Ice cubes
- 2cups soda water (optional)
- Fresh cranberries (garnish)
- Lemon wheels (garnish)
Instructions
Note: The recipes for the rosemary-infused cranberry juice and simple syrup will make more than what is needed for the cocktail. Save the excess to use in additional cocktails this season!
For Rosemary-Infused Cranberry Juice (Yield: 8 cups):
- Combine the cranberries with 4 cups of the water in a large pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently so as not to burn the fruit. When the cranberries soften and become mushy, add the remaining 4 cups water and the rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil, remove from the heat, and let cool for 15 minutes. Strain the juice into a clean glass bottle, discarding the berries and rosemary. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
For the Simple Syrup (Yield: 1 1/2 cups):
- Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring slowly, until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a clean glass bottle, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
For the Cocktail:
- Combine the vodka, cranberry juice, Aperol, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a large pitcher and refrigerate until well chilled. Pour over ice cubes into a punch bowl and stir. Add the soda water, if desired. Float fresh cranberries and lemon wheels as garnishes.
TIP: Aperol—a bittersweet Italian aperitif flavored with orange, rhubarb, gentian, and cinchona bark—is closely related to another jewel-toned mixer, Campari. And though the two share similarities in color and ingredients, Aperol is a tad sweeter, and comes in at about half the alcohol content.
Excerpted from Cocktails for the Holidays, © 2014 by The Editors of imbibe Magazine. Reproduced by permission of Chronicle Books.