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

Spiced Cranberry Negroni Holiday Cocktail

2 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

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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Coffee Cocktail
A Well Crafted Pantry

A Legit Coffee Cocktail with Rolling River Spirits Coffee Spirit

5 Comments A Well Crafted Pantry

I like the word legit. I likely use it too much. But, I have had my share of coffee cocktails that taste more like a milk shake than a coffee drink. This cocktail isn’t like that. Sure, it has some sweetness to it and creaminess…but, you can taste the COFFEE. That is in small part due to a good double shot of espresso and in large part to the smooth coffee infused spirit created by Rolling River.

I was sent a complimentary bottle of the Rolling River Coffee distilled spirit. All opinions, recipe, and photos are my own. To purchase Rolling River Spirits you can find stores that carry it in California and Oregon as well as online retailers. Thank you for reading and sharing as your support helps support content creation for this blog.

Ingredients for a great coffee cocktail

I’m a huge fan of Coava coffee (I order it online for my home coffee now that I live too far from stores that carry it!) and was thrilled to see that the Rolling Spirits Coffee feature coffee roasted by Coava. Upon tasting I was immediately impressed that this coffee flavored liquor wasn’t laden with sweetness as most coffee liquors seem to be!

The Coffee Spirit was distilled from organic, non-GMO hard red winter wheat in small batches. There is an initial distilling process then it is mixed with a brew of the Coava coffee and distilled a final time. That last distillation brings out clean flavors and a nice clear finish on the spirit. See– no added sugar!

I could totally see a coffee lover drinking this liquor chilled and neat. However, I knew that I wanted to test out my ability to create a coffee cocktail that wasn’t overly sweet and tasted like COFFEE. A cocktail that one might bring a coffee-loving mom with her Mother’s Day breakfast in bed. HINT.

My husband and I have a supreme dedication to beverages in our home. There is our normal bar, our cabinet full of non-alcoholic beverages, a hot tea bar, and our coffee bar. Our coffee bar is complete with burr grinder, coffee maker, french press, pour over carafe, and espresso machine. None of it is top of the line…because, well, budget. But, we do value it.

Because we do have all those fun tools. I was thrilled with the opportunity to use my espresso machine for this cocktail. However, it isn’t needed! You can easily sub a strong brewed coffee or great cold brew. (Stumptown makes a delicious strong cold brew that would absolutely work in this drink and is carried in a lot of locations.)

Espresso Martini

A Legit Coffee Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces espresso (or strong coffee) chilled
  • 1 3/4 oz Coffee Spirit by Rolling River Spirits
  • 1 oz Dark Rum
  • 1/2 oz (or to taste) of simple syrup or honey (whatever you like in your coffee!)
  • 1 oz of heavy cream shaken
  • Optional garnish of cocoa powder

(Keep scrolling for the recipe!)

Espresso Martini

Directions:

  • In a shaker, pour the Espresso, Coffee Spirit, Simple Syrup, and Dark Rum over ice. Shake to incorporate and thoroughly chill.
  • Strain into a martini glass
  • Pour your heavy cream in a jar that can close — I used a small jam jar. Shake vigorously. You want it to become pretty frothy, but not full on whipped cream. It took me about 15 seconds of shaking.
  • Pour the cream into your martini glass.
  • Sprinkle cocoa powder on the top and enjoy!

I really love that it tastes truly like coffee and has that extra kick of rum. The rum really brings out the flavors of the coffee in my opinion without overpowering it. The husband was a fan too. 😉 It’s legit yummy.

Like this recipe? Check out my other tasty cocktail recipes!

If you try this cocktail I’d love to hear about it! share in the comments below any changes you made or other ways you’d use this Coffee Spirit!

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