This Cranberry Orange Gin Fizz is truly my favorite cocktail to make during the Holiday season. It's made with homemade cranberry syrup that gets muddled and mixed with fresh orange juice, Gin, & sparkling water for a truly delicious cranberry gin cocktail!
Since my Pear Vanilla Gin Fizz is hands down my most popular cocktail recipe on SGTO, I figured it was time to create a brand new gin cocktail.
This cranberry gin smash features Empress 1908 Gin which gives it a beautiful maroon color and unique flavor!
Ingredients:
*Though not pictured, you will also need fresh water & ice to make this cocktail!*
How to make a cranberry gin cocktail
Make the cranberry sauce
Simply add the fresh cranberries, sugar, water, orange zest, and rosemary spring to a saucepan. Then, bring to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes until the cranberries burst open.
Remove the rosemary sprig and discard it. Then, set the cranberry syrup aside to cool completely before using it in a cocktail.
Muddle cranberry sauce
Once the cranberry sauce has cooled, add it to a cocktail shaker and muddle it to release any remaining juice from the cranberries.
Add orange juice, ice, & shake
Once the cranberries are muddled, fill the cocktail shaker with ice and fresh orange juice. Then, add on the lid and shake everything together until the glass is frosted. This will give you a refreshing and cold cocktail!
Add cranberry syrup, gin, & sparkling water to glass
To make 1 cocktail add about ¼ cup of the cranberry orange syrup from the cocktail shaker to a glass filled with ice.
Then, top with ½ cup sparkling water and 1.5 ounces of gin. Stir everything together to combine.
Add cranberry cocktail garnishes
For this cranberry gin fizz, I decided to use fresh rosemary, dried orange slices, and sugared cranberries.
I actually have a guide posted on how to make dried citrus slices which I followed to make the dried orange slices.
Other fun garnishes could include adding a flavored sugar rim as I did with my Grapefruit Rose Paloma and Pear Gin Fizz!
FAQ & Tips:
What gin works best in this cranberry gin cocktail?
I used Empress 1908 Gin for this cocktail which has such a lovely unique flavor and honestly is one of my favorite gin brands. Other brands that I've tried and like include Tanqueray (which I used in my Pear Gin Fizz) and Malfy Gin (which is my go-to for a basic Gin & Tonic).
With Gin, I always recommend trying the brand first to make sure you like it. Because of the different botanicals in each Gin, the flavor can really vary a lot between brands.
Can I make this cranberry smash with a different alcohol?
I personally haven't tried it, but I bet this cocktail would taste great with vodka or white rum. If you try that let me know how it goes!
Can I prep this cocktail ahead of time?
While I don't recommend making the full cocktail ahead of time, you can prep several of the ingredients 2-3 days in advance so all you have to do is put together the cocktail when you are ready.
To save time, juice the oranges and store the juice in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also make the cranberry sauce 2-3 days before and store it in a closed container in the fridge.
Can I turn this into a cranberry mocktail (non-alcoholic)?
Yes! I actually recommend replacing the gin with cranberry juice if making this a mocktail. It gives the cocktail a stronger cranberry flavor and is super delicious!
I hope you enjoy this festive & fresh Cranberry Orange Gin Fizz! With homemade cranberry syrup & Empress Gin, it truly is a unique cranberry gin cocktail. Enjoy!
-TSG
More cocktail recipes you will love:
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Cranberry Gin Fizz
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest zest of 1 orange
Cocktail Ingredients (4 cocktails)
- 1 cup cranberry sauce made above
- 2 cups sparkling water
- ⅓ cup orange juice juice of 1 large orange
- 6 ounces Gin
- Ice for cocktail shaker & cocktails
Optional Garnishes
- 4 dried orange slices
- 1 cup sugared cranberries
- 4 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
- First make the cranberry sauce by adding the cranberries, sugar, water, rosemary, and orange zest to a saucepan. Stir together, bring to a simmer, and cook over low heat until the cranberries burst.
- Once the cranberry sauce is ready, remove and discard the rosemary sprig and set the sauce aside to cool. While the sauce is cooling, juice the orange.
- Add the cooled cranberry sauce to a cocktail shaker and muddle the cranberries to release any of the remaining juice.
- Then, fill the cocktail shaker with ice and pour in the fresh orange juice. Add the cocktail shaker lid so it is sealed. Then, shake together until the glass is frosted.
- To make one cocktail, add 2-3 ice cubes to a glass and pour ¼ cup of the cranberry orange syrup from the cocktail shaker. Then, add ½ cup sparkling water and 1.5 oz gin to each glass and stir together.
- Top each cocktail with desired garnishes such as dried orange slices, sugared cranberries, or fresh rosemary. Then, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- For this cocktail, I used Empress 1908 Gin, but other brands I like include Tanqueray and Malfy Gin. Every gin brand tastes different, so make sure to use one you know you like!
- The cranberry sauce can be made 2-3 days ahead of time and stored in a closed container in the fridge.
- The orange can be juiced 2-3 days ahead of time and stored in a closed container in the fridge.
- To make this drink as a mocktail (non-alcoholic), replace the gin with cranberry juice for a stronger cranberry flavor.
- This is the cocktail shaker I used for this recipe. This muddler is similar to the one I own and used.
Tavo says
I came in love with this drink with the first sip! I am making it again for Christmas! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe! Happy holidays!
Megan says
SO happy to hear it- Happy Holidays to you too!