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overhead shot of spiced cranberry negroni cocktail with holiday baubles
A Well Crafted Pantry

Spiced Cranberry Negroni Holiday Cocktail

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Sometimes that eggnog and hot buttered rum just doesn’t hit the spot. When you want to serve a cocktail that feels like the holidays, but isn’t one of the classics you always see, try this spiced cranberry negroni for Holiday a twist on an Italian classic… and something your guests probably haven’t tried recently. The flavors of a classic cranberry sauce spiced with orange zest and cinnamon is paired with the bitter notes of clove, cinnamon, and citrus of campari, the freshness of gin, and depth of sweet vermouth to create a truly interesting holiday sipper.

Holiday cocktail in christmas bauble with pink and red decor

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I know that the bitter notes of campari can be difficult for some, but hear me out on this drink. While a traditional negroni has either devoted followers or haters, this twist on the original offers a more balanced approach to appeal to the holiday guest. It may even be a way to convert some people over to join you for some amazing aperol spritz and negronis next summer when you host your next cocktail party.

Spiced Cranberry Syrup

Before you can make this cocktail you have to first make the spiced cranberry syrup. The best part of this recipe, is you have some tasty spiced cranberry sauce in the end as well!

Makes approximately 1 cup of syrup

  • 1 Bag of Fresh Cranberries rinsed and de-stemmed (16 oz) – you can substitute frozen, just decrease the water by 1/4 cup
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 zest of orange

Directions: Put all ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring so that sugar does not burn, until sugar is fully dissolved and berries have cooked and are bursting. Smash the berries with a spoon and continue to cook until liquid has reduced some and will coat the spoon slightly. This takes around 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool. Separate the liquid from the berries. Keep the cranberry sauce to use for a holiday appetizer. Reserve the liquid to use in the Negroni cocktail or other holiday drinks!

Cocktail in glass with holiday baubles

A Holiday Twist on the Negroni: Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail

Makes 1 cocktail (scroll below for a batch recipe)

  • 1 oz gin
  • 1 oz campari
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth
  • 1 oz cranberry juice
  • 1 oz spiced cranberry syrup

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker* over ice and shake. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass or over a large cube of ice* in a rocks glass—your choice!

Batch Holiday Cocktail Recipe: Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail

Makes 6 cocktails

  • 6 oz gin
  • 6 oz campari
  • 6 oz sweet vermouth
  • 6 oz cranberry juice
  • 6 oz spiced cranberry syrup
  • 3 oz water

Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher and chill in fridge. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass or over a large cube of ice in a rocks glass—your choice!

TIP: I’ll be pouring these into ornaments and chilling in fridge. Guests can then pour the chilled drink directly from their ornament and into their glass! I use the clear ornaments* that can be cleaned out with soap and water. I remove the metal insert and use plastic wrap to seal the bauble and cover with the metal cap. However, I’m sure that some companies are making these baubles with caps on them just for this use now-a-days, I just haven’t used them before!

Holiday cocktail overhead shot with pink and red decor

This year, instead of having the boring old-standbys for your holiday party, spice things up with this Spiced Cranberry Negroni Cocktail. Suddenly your party will be more interesting and intellectual. Your guests will agree that you are the absolute best and no one else will have a holiday party like yours. I am sure of it. 😉

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Cocktails

Spiced Apple Cocktail

1 Comment Cocktails

Fall is in the air. School is starting up. People are prepping for the holidays. Soup season is just waiting for the first chilly afternoon. In my books, that means it is time for a celebration. Celebrating the start of this season doesn’t need to be elaborate, everyone is busy this time of year after all. To start my celebration I created a Spiced Apple Cocktail filled with my favorite flavors that remind me of Fall—spiced cider, apples, bourbon, and cinnamon.

This spiced apple cocktail starts off with making a spiced simple syrup. Simple syrup is a 1 to 1 ratio of sugar and water heated on medium heat until sugar has dissolved, and this time we are going to steep some mulling spices and cinnamon in the mixture. Letting the mixture steep in the fridge overnight will increase the intensity of flavor. Strain the spice mixture from the simple syrup for use. It will last in the fridge in a closed container for 7 days.

Spiced Apple Cocktail

  • 2 oz Bourbon
  • 1 oz Apple Cinnamon Vodka (Or Apple Brandy)
  • 1 oz Apple Juice
  • 1 oz Spiced Simple Syrup
  • Sugar, apple slices, and cinnamon stick for garnish

In a cocktail shaker over ice, pour the bourbon, apple cinnamon vodka, apple juice, and spiced simple syrup. Shake! Strain the mixture into a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar and top with a slice of apple and a cinnamon stick.

For a non-alcoholic treat mix 2 oz of the spiced simple syrup with 3 oz of apple juice!

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example of three limeade flavors
A Well Crafted Pantry

Limeade Three Ways

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On hot summer days I always crave a classic cherry limeade. However, as I’ve gotten older, my tastes for the overly sweet syrups has declined. Which is how this simple and tasty recipe was created… with a desire for real fruit syrup, a good squeeze of lime, and lots of bubbles. Read on for a recipe for three fruit limeades that you can really mix it up and do several different ways!

This post is not sponsored by the companies with products featured. There are some affiliate links in this post, affiliate links give a small portion of products purchased to this blog. Thank you for supporting this blog!

I work from home and this week was a lull between camps for my oldest. So, on a break from work we walked together to the local coffee shop. On the way I was trying to explain why I work and what I do to him so he could understand it a bit more… I also really wanted to impress so I shared a bit more:

example of three limeade flavors

Me: “My first job out of school was at a newspaper. Well, not my first job ever, that was Sonic [Drive-in Restaurant], but my first job out of college was at a newspaper. I’ve written for newspapers and for magazines!”

Him: “Yeah, but, I love Sonic.”

So, while I may not impress him or anyone else with my writing skills, those skills I learned at Sonic Drive-In have totally translated into making a ton of drink recipes. One of my drink recipes that seems to be directly related to my experience as a car hop is this recipe, a good ole classic, Limeade!

Homemade Fruit Syrup (Better Than Store Bought!)

Way back when I could fit into a size medium I loved the Cherry Limeades from Sonic, but these days the taste of that cherry syrup gives me heartburn rather than good feels. These three limeade versions are made with a homemade fruit syrup that doesn’t take too long to make and can sit in your fridge for about 2 weeks to make a lot of fun drink combinations.

I chose to make 3 different limeade versions so I created a fruit syrup out of blueberries, cherries, and strawberries. You can mix it up to any fruit really… though, if you prefer a citrus then skip making the syrup and just squeeze fresh fruit into your drink and add in a simple syrup.

Note: You can do the same with fresh fruit rather than frozen. You may need to increase the water a bit if so.

Ingredients for Fruit Syrup:

  • 12 oz frozen fruit of choice
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water

Directions for Fruit Syrup:

  1. Pour all three ingredients into a sauce pan (heavy bottom is best when working with sugar) and put over medium heat on stove top.
  2. Stir frequently so that sugar does not sit on the bottom of the pan and it dissolves completely.
  3. Cook for about 6-10 minutes or until the fruit has softened and sugar has fully dissolved.
  4. Strain through fine mesh sieve (squash the fruit to get all the good stuff!) reserving the liquid.
  5. Chill!

Note: Thinking ahead to the garnish… I chose to garnish my Strawberry Limeade and Blueberry Limeade with fresh fruit. But, I didn’t want fresh cherries as a garnish for the Cherry Limeade and I didn’t want Maraschino Cherries either, so instead I chose to pull out a few of the frozen cherries after they had soaked in the sugar and water mixture but before they got totally soft. I reserved a few of those cherries and put covered in the fridge to use as garnish later.

Limeade Times Three

You can make a variety of flavors of limeades! I made a Cherry Limeade, Blueberry Limeade, and a Strawberry Limeade. The directions for all three are the same!

Limeade Ingredients:

I’m not going to give exact proportions below because it’ll all depend on the size of your glass and your tastes.

  • Fruit Syrup
  • Limes
  • 7-UP
  • Garnish (fruit of choice)
  • Glass filled with ice
  • Straw/stirring spoon

Limeade Directions:

  1. Fill a glass with ice.
  2. Pour fruit syrup into the glass until it is about 1/4 the way full.
  3. Squeeze in 1/2 lime (you can add more to taste later if needed)
  4. Top with 7-UP
  5. Add garnish
  6. Stir and Serve!

Make it a cocktail!

Now, as delicious as this drink is without the addition of alcohol….it also makes a great base for some fun, easy adult-only drinks. Try one of the below variations (and drink responsibly!)

  1. Add in a shot of vodka. A great flavored vodka (no added sugar! Wild Roots makes delicious ones.) would be fantastic in this. Or,
  2. Add in a shot of rum. I’d go with a silver rum or if you’re feeling it, coconut or pineapple rum. Or,
  3. Substitute the lemon-lime soda with a sweet sparkling wine.

Do you have any drinks that hit you with some full-force nostalgia? Share in the comments below!

This drink was originally shared in a #nightcapwithjenni session on Instagram. Like beverage recipes as much as I do? Don’t forget to follow-along this upcoming Sunday around 6 PM PST on Instagram stories for my next installment of #nightcapwithjenni!

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