Do you wish that you can create your own cranberry and vodka drinks anytime and anywhere you like? Then you come to the right place as I’ll teach you three of my favorite cocktail recipes. I learned all of them by experimenting with so many drink recipes that I found online and suggested by my friends.
The combination of cranberry and vodka drinks complements each other, and can make superb cocktails together. You don’t need to be a professional to do all these recipes. All you need to do is follow the instructions below.
What You’ll Need
Vodka
Vodka is an excellent ingredient for cocktail drinks because it blends smoothly with almost anything. The final output of vodka is supposed to be free from taste, color, and odor. However, some distillers improve the taste by adding some flavors.
For the first drink recipe, Absolut vodka is recommended because it’s delicious flavor and mellow character makes a great complement to sharp, sweet taste of cranberry juice. You may use any brand of vodka for the second recipe. For the third recipe, a cranberry-infused vodka is ideal, like the Smirnoff Cranberry Vodka.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice has a slightly sour taste, but it offers a hint of sweet flavor, too. This juice is a fabulous addition to your drink because it provides a multitude of health benefits. Such health benefits include the relief from respiratory diseases, urinary tract infection, and cancer.
This juice can be a great source of vitamin C for stronger immune system and antioxidants for cell protection. Other minerals included are calcium, magnesium, and iron.
You can buy commercially available cranberry juice, but make sure that it’s added with no sugar, preservatives, and other artificial flavors. If you want to be as natural as possible, you can go and extract your own cranberry juice with a use of a good juicer.
Beverage Glass
To serve your finished drink, you need the right size of beverage glass. For the first and third recipes, a highball glass may be suitable to use. For the second recipe, which uses sparkling wine as one of the ingredients, a flute glass may be ideal. If you have none of the glass mentioned, you can use any drinking glass available in your kitchen.
Ice Cubes
To keep your drink deliciously chilled when served, you need some ice. Make sure that the water you used for your ice is filtered or distilled. This is to ensure that you don’t impart any bacteria or microbes into your drink.
Cocktail Jigger
You need a good one and two-ounce jigger to measure the right amount of liquid ingredients. It is going to be a great purchase if you want to create different mixes of cocktail drinks. Most jiggers are made of stainless steel for durability and easy maintenance.
Bar Spoon
A bar spoon is another essential equipment that you need to invest if you’re planning to create a variety of cocktail drinks. You need this utensil in Recipes 2 and 3 to give the drinks a nice mix.
Citrus Juicer
You need a citrus juicer to extract the juice from lime in Recipe 2 and orange in Recipe 3.
For Recipe 1
Lime
You need lime to garnish your Absolut Vodka-Cranberry Juice. A wedge is enough to make your drink look pleasing for your guests. You can eat the lime after you have consumed the whole drink.
Knife
A knife is needed to cut a wedge from a lime. There’s no extraordinary knife that you should use so you can use any knife you have at home. Just make sure that knife is clean and comfortable to use.
For Recipe 2
Sugar
To sweeten your drink, you need sugar. The sugar will balance the slightly sour taste of cranberry juice and the strong flavor of vodka. Alternatively, you can use a simple syrup to give variety to this recipe.
Fresh Mint Sprigs
The fresh mint sprigs serve a double purpose for this excellent. A couple of them will bring a delicious flavor to your drink while a few of them you can use as a garnish. The beauty of this ingredient is its pleasant smell that can create a refreshing feeling.
Not only do they offer a nice flavor to your drink, but they can also be good for your health. According to [Elizabeth Rider] (http://www.elizabethrider.com/10-ways-use-fresh-mint/), mint can offer relief to heartburn, indigestion, and tension headaches.
Champagne
Champagne is a sparkling wine made only from France’s Champagne district. If you like a little sweetness, opt for a dry champagne variant.
If you like a sweeter champagne, choose Moscato, a white wine with a gentle, bubbly feature. Alternatively, you can use any cheaper brand of sparkling wine if you can’t find a bottle of champagne.
Raspberries (optional)
Together with a sprig of mint, you need a few fresh raspberries to garnish this wonderful drink. Raspberries are known for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which can help inhibit the development of cancer cells. They have a bittersweet taste which goes well with the drink.
Lime
You need some fresh lime to create lime juice for your fizzy drink. To choose for the freshest lime, look for its size and appearance. A good, fresh lime should be heavy for its size. Its skin should have a glossy green color and free from molds.
Cocktail Shaker
A cocktail shaker is highly needed for this recipe because you’ll need it when you’re going to mix all the ingredients. This is going to be a great investment if you want to experiment with more drink recipes. Make sure that your shaker includes a strainer included to make it easier to pour the finished drink into the glass of your choice.
For Recipe 3
Orange
You need an orange to make orange juice for this third cocktail recipe. Contrary to popular belief, a bright orange doesn’t necessarily mean to be good. Sometimes an artificial dye is injected to create this brilliant orange color. The smartest way to go is to avoid those with signs of mold and soft spots.
Maraschino Cherry (optional)
You need a maraschino cherry to garnish your finished drink. You can find it usually packaged in a jar, ready to be used. After you open the jar, make sure that you refrigerate it to extend its shelf life.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Recipe 1- Absolut Vodka-Cranberry
1. Prepare Your Ingredients
For this recipe, you need to prepare one ounce Absolut vodka, two ounces cranberry juice, and one wedge lime for garnish. To make a wedge lime, use a knife to cut a lime into sections. You can watch the procedure in this video.
2. Mix All The Ingredients
In a cocktail glass, fill with ice cubes. Next, add the vodka and cranberry juice. Garnish this drink with a wedge lime and serve.
Recipe 2- Sparkling Vodka-Cranberry
1. Prepare The Ingredients
For this recipe, you need one teaspoon sugar, three fresh mint sprigs, one-ounce fresh lime juice, two ounces vodka, champagne, and raspberries for garnish.To make lime juice, use a citrus juicer. You can get remarkable ideas on how to extract lime in this video.
2. Mix And Serve
In a cocktail shaker, add sugar, mint sprigs, and fresh lime juice. Use a bar spoon to stir the mix well. After that, you can add the ice, then the vodka and a splash of cranberry juice.
Shake vigorously and strain the finished drink into a flute glass. Top it with champagne or any sparkling wine of your choice. Before you serve, garnish with a few raspberries.
Recipe 3- Orange-Vodka-Cranberry
1. Get Ready With The Ingredients
For this recipe, you need 1 1/2 parts cranberry-infused vodka, 1/2 part cranberry juice, one part orange juice, and one Maraschino cherry to garnish. Use a citrus juicer to extract juice from an orange. You can watch how to do it in this demonstration video.
2. Mix, Serve, And Enjoy
Fill your highball glass with ice, then add the vodka, cranberry juice, and orange juice. Use a bar spoon to stir the drink. Garnish with a cherry to serve. Serve and enjoy.
Additional Tips To Remember
1. Roll the Lime Or Orange Before Juicing
If you like to get the most lime or orange juice as possible, The Kitchn suggests rolling the fruit on the counter before juicing. The rolling motion helps open some of the segments inside the fruits.
2. Shake Or Stir The Drink In Circular Motion
To get the right technique of mixing drinks, Mashable recommends shaking or stirring the drink in a circular motion. When you stir, make sure that the bar spoon touches the glass, so the contents create a vortex that begins the dilution. Although dilution is much desired, don’t overdo it or your mix will water down.
Try Making Some Cranberry And Vodka Drinks Today!
Did you enjoy reading through the recipes of cranberry and vodka fusion drinks? Thanks to these drink recipes, I can already make my own cocktail drinks anytime. This brand new knowledge has fully revved up my parties at home.
If you’ve tried making your own mix of cranberry and vodka, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Don’t wait to share this article with your friends if you like it.
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