Cranberry Vanilla Gin Spritzer
It took me a long time to warm up to gin. It’s just so . . . flavorful, compared to vodka (which has virtually no flavor). I can see how if you weren’t prepared for it, you could think that gin tasted like soap, or medicine, or pine trees (thanks to the juniper berries).
But over the years, I had many small sips of gin cocktails ordered by friends, to see if my taste buds had changed. And lo and behold, a few summers ago, they did.
My taste buds realized that gin and tonics were amazing. I mean seriously, they taste like an adult version of Sprite or something, right?
While gin and tonics are firmly a summer drink for me (and rosemary gin cocktails are my choice in the winter), I wanted to bring my newfound love of gin into the autumn months as well.
So of course, cranberries. I wanted to add a third flavor to tie the gin and cranberries together, and vanilla goes well with both of them, so I turned to vanilla bean coffee syrup.
This might be a cocktail to add to your Thanksgiving recipes list?
To make this Cranberry Vanilla Gin Spritzer, simply grab a cocktail shaker and muddle a piece of orange peel, a few dashes of orange bitters and some fresh cranberries.
Add some gin, vanilla bean syrup and orange juice and give it a good shake. Strain it into a glass over ice, and top with a bit of club soda for fizz.
P.S. Think gin tastes like pine trees? That’s cool, I get it. Go ahead and use vodka in this cocktail instead. I selflessly tested that version for you, and it’s delicious.
Cranberry Vanilla Gin Spritzer
Ingredients
- 1 piece (2 inches) orange peel
- 2 tablespoons fresh cranberries
- 2 dashes orange bitters
- Ice
- 2 pumps vanilla bean syrup
- 1-1/2 ounces gin
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Club soda, for finishing
Instructions
- In cocktail shaker, muddle orange peel, cranberries and bitters until cranberries are crushed. Add ice, vanilla syrup, gin and orange juice; shake well.
- Fill double old fashioned glass with ice, strain gin mixture over ice. Top with club soda and serve immediately.
MORE RECIPES WITH FRESH CRANBERRIES:
- Cranberry Curd Tart Recipe – with gluten free options!
- Cranberry Chocolate Chip Clafoutis – a decadent pudding-like treat!
- Hard Cider Cranberry Sauce – why not spike your cranberry sauce?
- Cranberry Sauce Muffins – a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce!
- Fresh Cranberry Scones from SweetPea’s Kitchen
- Orange Cranberry Bread from Two Peas & Their Pod
Hey Lori, this looks like a fabulous holiday drink. I’m wondering if you think it can be served in quantity as a punch? I am concerned about how to do the cranberries, though I suppose I could just do a cranberry syrup and achieve the same flavor profile. Any thoughts?
Hi Alleira! I think you can absolutely do this as a punch. Maybe instead of using the cocktail shaker, just use a potato masher to kind of crush the cranberries and orange peel together. Then, strain that and use the juice to make a big bowl of punch!
Gin and cranberry is so good together! I NEED to get a bottle of that vanilla syrup – I can’t get over all of those flecks of vanilla in it!
Just the sight of little flecks of vanilla bean always makes me happy!
Your so selfless, really you are. 🙂 It took me a long time to warm up to gin too but now I’ll take with open arms. Pretty much how I’ll take this cocktail thankyouverymuch.
Anything for my readers, I tell ya. Thanks Susan!
I’m trying really really hard to remember if I’ve ever had gin before (I know, right?!) I have had vodka before though 😉 Regardless I love this fall version with the cranberries and vanilla and can’t wait to try it.
I’m pretty sure if you had gin, you would have remembered. It’s a VERY distinctive flavor. Let’s just leave it at that. haha.
I am totally rocking this cocktail over the weekend. It’s so pretty! I’m telling you, Amoretti makes the best vanilla syrup–the BEST!
Thanks Jennie! Enjoy. Is it weird that I’m ALREADY looking forward to the weekend?
This sounds like a great cocktail, and I am very happy that the syrup you use does not have artificial sweeteners (way too many of them do). We have some Jin (gin) made by the Dogfish Head Brewery, which is very flavorful, and which I think would work well in this cocktail. Now, to find the syrup…
Thanks Susan! I had a hard time choosing a gin for this one, but ended up asking the liquor guy at my store for a nice neutral-flavored one. I was worried that with a stronger-flavored gin, all of the flavors might end up competing with each other. But, the only way to find out is to try it with the gin that you have, and see what happens 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Um…thank you for testing the vodka version? I’ve also been back and forth with gin but am loving it lately. I know for sure I’m loving that bottle of vanilla syrup!
Oh, I’ll do anything for my readers, including testing cocktail varieties 😉 Thanks Anita!
This is positively lovely! I haven’t quite warmed up to gin yet, so I appreciate your selfless cocktail testing. This will be perfect for the holidays!
100% selfless, that vodka taste test was 😉