This is one of my favorite things to make over the holidays yet because I put it on my blog a couple of years ago, it has for the most part languished in the nether world of being there but no one knowing it. As I work to finish the batch for this year along with the Coffee Liqueur (Faux Kahlua!) I bottled last week I decided this was one of those ‘have to’s.’ Meaning I have to take some new photos, I have to re-post this article and then most importantly? You have to make it!
I’ve mentioned I make my Christmas gifts and each year is a greater challenge to make something more unique than the last. When I made this several years ago it was one of my first forays into the making of a liqueur. As it turns out they are pretty easy. Some inexpensive vodka, sugars and your choice of flavors and you’ve got your own brew. How cool is that? Especially cool when vodka, sugars and a few different ingredients are all you need for both the cranberry and coffee liqueurs.
The year I made this for gifts I also included Brown Butter Rum pound cake, jam, candles, soap, candy, and my Grandma’s Pecan Butter Ball; which one do you think everyone loved the best?
It makes a nice sipping liqueur with a touch or orange in the mix but I especially love this gorgeous cocktail for the holidays. Though I’ve labeled the cocktail as a champagne one, the truth is I most often use a Spanish Cava. Know what the difference is? Mostly $$$’s. Only sparkling wines made from the Champagne region in France can legally be called champagne but both Italy’s Prosecco and Spain’s Cava suit me just fine. Sure, use Champagne if you must but I typically never mix a liqueur with a good champagne, preferring the more reasonably priced alternatives. And those berries that are left after brewing? Perfect on some pound cake with whipped cream for a very special holiday dessert or just served simply with some ice cream and a splash of the liqueur; it’s ice cream with attitude!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated orange rind
- 2 cups vodka (Use decent vodka but top shelf not required)
- 1 & 1/2 oz Cranberry Liqueur, chilled
- 4 oz Champagne, Cava or Prosecco, chilled
Preparation
- Combine sugar and water in heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer sugar syrup for three minutes, making sure all of the sugar has dissolved in the water.
- Add cranberries, orange juice and orange rind.
- Remove syrup mixture from heat and cool slightly.
- Add mixture to Cuisinart and chop just slightly to open up berries; cool completely.
- Add vodka and mix thoroughly.
- Pour into container; glass or plastic. Cover and store in a dark, cool location for 3 weeks. (I put mine in the garage).
- Stir ingredients every couple of days.
- Once the mixture is ready, strain through fine metal sieve; saving the berries. Be careful and not eat the whole bowl full of these beauties; great on vanilla ice cream with a splash of the liqueur.
- Pour liqueur into glass jars and store in airtight container. To ship this for gifts; I put it into these bottles with a tight seal and then wrapped the top and seals with clear plastic strapping tape just to be safe!
- We put some of the berries into a champagne flute and combine Spanish Cava with the liqueur for a gorgeous holiday cocktail.
- Time does not include the 3 weeks for 'brewing.'
- Pour the cranberry liqueur into chilled champagne glasses; top with your choice of chilled sparkling wine.
Notes
I found the bottles I used the first year I did this at The Container Store; I've since seen them at World Market too.
Amanda is a friend on Twitter who lives in Australia and she wanted to make this recipe. We might take cranberries for granted in the states; the majority of the world production of berries is from bogs in the US and Canada so typically they are only available as a frozen product in Australia. She and I conferred and I thought this would come together fine with frozen cranberries. Alas, seems Australia is suffering from a frozen cranberry shortage (Oh NO!!) so it was time to punt. She made her batch using dried cranberries and I wanted to share that link with you if you find yourself in her shoes. For a version using dried cranberries, please visit Amanda’s blog, Lambs Ear and Honey…tell her Barb sent you. :) And cheers Amanda!
In keeping with my nature to make fun of my beginning efforts at photography, I present you with another ‘original’ photo. Not just old but the day I bottled, packaged and shipped off to places all over the country for family. I think that bottle on the right was full at first but the stress of the day got to me; thank goodness for a nip every now and then! (I’m kidding. I think.)
For more cocktails and the occasional appetizer too, visit our Friday Cocktails section!
{ 82 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, the results are in! :-) The family and friends loved the cranberry liqueur and are already “hinting” that they would be open to receiving more for Holidays 2013. I did make a second batch and added a couple of cinnamon sticks while it was infusing. That was quite nice as well. Thank you Barbara for helping me be one step ahead for 2013! :)
So good to hear…I know I love it! It is simply the prettiest liqueur ever and doesn’t hurt that it tastes so good either does it. Here’s to 2013!
Barb, you are a genius! I recently embarked on a slivovitz adventure and a vanilla bean extract adventure and happen to have a bag of frozen cranberries and an extra bottle on my counter that could easily accomodate another flavored vodka project. I’m glad this works with frozen cranberries. Thanks so much for sharing. Wishing you happy holidays! :)
You are too sweet but I’ll take it! This is so easy and so good; not to mention SO beautiful! Hope you love it like we do. All I know is I got bottles back from gift baskets in the hopes they would be refilled…that says something huh? :)
how much does one batch of the Cranberry Liqueur make?
thanks.
This looks wonderful! Have you ever tried it with blackberries?
I have not but I would in a heartbeat…maybe substituting lemon juice for the OJ? I’ll have to try it!
I made your cranberry liqueur and brought it to Christmas dinner. It was the hit of the dinner. One person declared it the best after dinner drink he had in his life. Thank you for sharing. I have some cranberries left; I think I will make another batch.
Mary Mansson Most Recent Post: Chiles Rellenos – Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Corn and Carrots
Mary,
Somehow I missed your comment in December on the cranberry liqueur of mine that you made and what a pleasant surprise to read it now; so very happy you enjoyed it as much as we do. Cheers!
Seems to be something of a cranberry crisis here in Australia this Christmas & frozen cranberries are just not available. I’ve used the whole dried ones and they seem to have worked out well – with huge thanks to Barbara for her suggestions & support.
Merry Christmas from down under!
Amanda Most Recent Post: Christmas cheer – Cranberry Liqueur
I love your spirit and more than that…love that it created such success. Thanks for sharing Amanda.
How awful would it be if this (and the coffee liquor) only had two weeks to brew?
Not awful at all; the more time, the more the vodka mellows but I assure you; it has been tasted early and it is fine! Enjoy.
Bugger – kicking myself! Wish I’d looked more closely at this recipe a week ago. I wanted to make it for gifts, but now don’t have enough time. Fresh cranberries a bit like hens teeth here in Oz. How would dried go, do you think?
See if you can find some frozen cranberries first before experimenting with dried OK?
I totally made this for Christmas gifts last year. It’s so funny, as now we’re part of the recipe swap group (and twitter friends) and it’s all coming together now. I love this recipe, and definitely drank my fair share of this liqueur with champagne last year! It was SUCH a good Christmas gift, so thank you for the idea…I’m loving the updated photos and cocktail recipe.
Oh, I love cranberry, and I love champagne. I must make this! Unfortunately, I’m a bit late for gifts I need this year, so my first try will just have to be for me only. (That will be tough, but I’ll make do.) Everyone else in 2012…
I am going to be making this tomorrow!!!! What a neat idea! I have extra cranberries from Thanksgiving and we have a Christmas party coming up in a few weeks so this will be perfect!
Perfect! Funny I just added this recipe to my list for using Thanksgiving ‘leftovers’ thinking someone might have cranberries to use but thought it might be a stretch. Guess not! Make sure to come back and let me know how it turns out; it is the most gorgeous liqueur…a bonus that I love the taste!
I think I am most definitely going to make this over the weekend. A quick question though…How much will this make? I’m just trying to figure out what to store it for the 3 weeks. Also, I live in Illinois and I’m sure we’ll have freezing temps over the next few weeks (sooo not ready for that, but not much I can do about it!). If I store it in the garage, will this freeze or will the vodka prevent that?
One recipe makes about 4 cups of finished product. The batch in my photo? I’ve probably quadrupled that because I give this as gifts. Or because I like to drink it? Both!
I put mine in the garage and I’m in Denver. No matter how cold it gets outside it never freezes there and as you indicate, the alcohol in the mix raises the freezing point as well. I think you should be fine. Just remember to go stir it every day or so…and enjoy!
Well..I made this today! Found slightly different bottles as World Market (thanks!) and went to town. I doubled the recipe (we are in New Orleans) and crossed my fingers that it turns out as beautiful as yours. Only 3 weeks to go! Thank you for sharing..this is right up my alley!
Heather
Yay! I’m sure it will Heather; hope you’ll take a pic after you bottle yours. You know what’s killer? Those vodka soaked berries after it’s all done. Amazing. You should sample every now and then; it’s interesting to see how both the vodka mellows and the depth of flavor builds. So excited you tried it!
Today is bottling day! I’m so excited. I have been sampling along the way and you’re right..the vodka mellowed so much! I’ve spread the word about my “project” to family and friends and they are happily awaiting the results. I’ll snap a finished photo. :) thank you again for this recipe!
Happy holidays,
Heather
So glad to hear of your good results Heather. The truth is it can be used immediately…but that time spent aging, like the making of any liquor just adds so much to the end results. Hope your family loves it and I would LOVE a photo; please don’t forget!
Wow! This sounds so yummy. I saw this on twitter, what a great idea!
Thank you and thanks for stopping by…have a good holiday.
What a very cool recipe and am I ever glad you shared it again! I have just enough time to make this for the Christmas holidays and I know plenty of people that would love a drop or two. We love the Cava and Prosecco here too. Bubbles are good anyway they come!
Now, to find some cool bottles. No World Market or Container stores here…*sigh*
Móna Wise Most Recent Post: By: WiseMóna
YAY!! I’ve been thinking I need to save bottles and the best ones would be olive oil or vinegar bottles…not as large as wine bottles (I would have to start this process and make gallons to fill enough of those) but still with a nice shape. The bottles are the priciest part of the gift; I need a ‘renewable’ resource of my own.
You made it look so easy dear. The only ingredient missing from my pantry – vodka. It’s extremely crucial now that I can’t wait to try this recipe :D
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com Most Recent Post: “Feel good” comfort soup
It’s easy to make it look easy simply because it really is easy! That’s the magical part; I do hope you try it and be sure to let me know; we’ll sip one together!
These look so perfect for the holidays! And I love the old/new photography comparison…gives me hope ;)
Anna @ hiddenponies Most Recent Post: Saturday Sweets – Chocolate Meringue Cookies
You want hope? Take a peek at the photo on this one. http://www.creative-culinary.com/avocado-tomato-and-mozzarella-pasta-salad-with-pine-nuts I think my all time worst but also right before point and shoot died. I don’t even like it’s replacement but will have to wait til summer for good tomatoes to do another revision. I don’t do recipes again just for photos but some are just dishes we love so I get a 2nd and 3rd chance. Whew!
I think you are doing fine…it’s a lot of work if your passion is cooking isn’t it?
this would be a great homemade gift. I need to start making this, Christmas is just few weeks away. Thanks for sharing Barbara :)
You have plenty of time or I should say just about enough time. I might sneak a sip a bit early but the longer it can age, the better it gets. Then it will disappear. And you are most welcome; I love the sharing…only hope that readers enjoy it too.
Such a wonderful idea, I know anyone would love to receive this for the holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!
Liren Most Recent Post: Cranberry, Orange & Ginger Chutney Brie Cups | A Guest Post from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
I do think they do Liren! Now if I could only figure out how to give them a nudge to give me the bottles back if they want refills. :)
My husband and I make brandy from fruits on our trees and any fruit I can barter for at the farmers market all summer, and we have our friends trained…if they want more, they have to bring the bottles back!! We actually end up getting boxes of different bottles from some of them, LOL!!
I am going to try your cranberry liqueur next winter, it sounds wonderful, and a great gift for the holidays.
Smart friends you have. This past year I resorted to using plain old Ball jars…the cost of the bottles were just too much and most everyone was just getting a refill anyhow.
Oh to have some of my own fruit trees. I want to try so much more and brandy is on that list. Blackberry and peach to start and from there…well, first the room addition to store the results. :)
The new photos are gorgeous. I’m feeling very holiday-ish after reading this post. Hope you have a special Thanksgiving.
Andrea @ Fork Fingers Chopsticks Most Recent Post: Kale: Caldo Verde – Portuguese “Green” Soup
Thanks Andrea…I sort of enjoy seeing some before (When I hadn’t a clue about what I was doing) and after (when I still need to learn so much more). Hope you have a good holiday too and are still my friend after seeing the Driscolls post. Yes, I included the shot of our ‘tweetup.’
I am in love with these delicious gift ideas. I was set on trying the coffee liqueur and now I may need to try this gorgeous cranberry liqueur first. Your photos are amazing. The color is just beautiful. I even like the older photo (cute bottles!:)
Lora ~ cakeduchess Most Recent Post: Vegan Maple Pumpkin Pie
Nothing wrong with both of them, right? You are too sweet but I can’t get rid of the old photos…I will forever see that first photo and remember the frenzy of that day. In a good, holiday spirit sort of way!
I say call it a champagne cocktail, so much sexier than a sparkling wine cocktail. I would love to be your friend and get all these terrific Christmas gifts. Love the blog and the happy hour drink navigation link. Very smartly done.
angela@spinachtiger Most Recent Post: Hand Held Apple Pies, Laced with Raspberry Jam
I agree…beside the old adage ‘if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, it must be a duck’ applies. This looks and tastes like champagne so champagne it is!
Love this!! I know I was really excited about the coffee liqueur… and, I still am! But, cranberry? So fabulous. I need to make this for Christmas.
Jen Schall Most Recent Post: Friday Favorites – Episode 114
I say do them both Jen. The cranberry is so seasonal and good I couldn’t not make it but I wanted to give out something different this year. Double batches of both? Less than two bottles of vodka!
Looks divine! Might have to add it to the list…
So easy to make and a gift like this from the kitchen? Priceless.
I love the ease of this recipe (‘cept the 3 week brewing time LOL) and I love your gift bottles, very cute. I was just thinking, perhaps people can ask at their local wine and beer brewing places to bottle their home-made liqueurs there? You could purchase the wine bottles directly from them (jumbo size gift!) and then for a small fee they may let you cork them on-site using their equipment. Just a thought.
Paula Most Recent Post: Gingerbread Christmas Cookie Wreath
Heck I’ve got plenty of wine bottles I could use…but I would have to increase my brewing capacity…these smaller bottle are a good size. I need more of a flask size booze bottle. Hmm, now wondering where I could find those beyond checking the side of the road. :)
I told you I was going to make this as soon as I replenish our ever diminishing supply of vodka:) What else can I do with all those cranberries I collected from the neighboring bog (kidding, but they are so available and cheap now:)
You have come a long way since those early photos! Congratulations!
Not cheap enough for me…heading to Costco today to get a bushel. I love them that much! And thanks Lana…I don’t even want to think of the money and time it’s taken but as long as the results are evidence of growth, I’m OK with that. I really enjoy the photography; more so now that the injury I suffered in early 2010 doesn’t limit me so much. There was a time when I was lucky to be able to stand on that bad leg for 2 minutes…that did not bode well for most of my pics!
Wow your Cranberry Liqueur looks beautiful…I wouldn’t mind a bottle of that for Christmas…hint hint :)
Karriann Graf Most Recent Post: Ancient Grains for Modern Meals – Cookbook Giveaway
really fun, love the bright red color :)
Diane {Created by Diane} Most Recent Post: Caramel Coconut Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Pie
The color is gorgeous isn’t it. Well, with the right camera settings. Once I get some done enuf to make a cocktail that original pic is going to be relegated to the bottom as an example of a ‘before.’
Ooooh this must be amazing! I love cranberry juice and this must be cranberry juice with a kick. Damn, another reason for us to move near you, those homemade holiday gifts!
Jamie Most Recent Post: CROSTATA DI MARMELLATA (JAM TART)
It is so good Jamie and takes all of about 10 minutes to put together. I want to do limoncello but it is so time consuming; having to peel all those lemons. I’ll do cranberries, thanks you very much!
I used to make liqueurs. That was years and years ago. Why in the world did I stop doing that? Digging out old recipes even now.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme Most Recent Post: Whole Wheat Waffles
They are so easy…publishing coffee liqueur this Friday; it’s a winner too. Would love to hear about what you’ve made.
It seems like you have an extra one. Here is my address.
XX02
XXXXXXga Ter
XX, CA
900XX
GREG
I just started some cranberry liqueur and can’t wait to taste it in 3 weeks … this would have been lovely to share at Thanksgiving … oh well…. Christmas is just around the corner! I’m going to keep my eyes open for some pretty bottles so I can give some as gifts to some lucky friends! :-)
You might be able to sneak some out before then. The longer you wait and the longer the vodka ages, the more mellow the flavors become.
I got my bottles in previous years for bottling the cranberry liqueur at The Container Store but just saw the same ones at World Market…I’m sure they were cheaper there. Lucky friends indeed.
I’ve been thinking about doing a cranberry liqueur as well. First I need to go buy some berries. And vodka. Much, much more vodka.
Donna Most Recent Post: Spicy Squash Soup – vegetarian and mostly fat-free
I make Christmas everything – liqueurs, too – and this looks really yummy! It is definitely on the list. Pretty!
:)
Valerie
A Canadian Foodie Most Recent Post: European Tour and Itinerary 2011: An Introduction to our new Italian Friends
Just finished my batch of the cranberry liqueur for this year and made coffee liqueur yesterday. What do you make?
I would also like to know if frozen berries would work, has anyone tried it?
I think frozen would work just fine. I haven’t made it that way but don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Any specs as to how long this will last? Do I store it in the fridge? SO excited to make this!
Well, I just happen to have some I did not refrigerate and I just tasted it and it’s fine. The combination of alcohol and acid from the fruits makes for a natural preservative. So..suggest keeping cold but that little bit I have leftover is from last year at this same time. Best gift ever!
Thanks! And gift? I think I may be keeping this to myself. ;-)
ok, just saw your comment on where you found the bottles :)
This is awesome! What a great gift idea! Where do you find those cute little bottles?
Hi Denver Wine Girl–I’m in Denver too! I was just at the Sunflower on 38th yesterday and they had plenty of fresh cranberries!
Yes Juliana it gets mixed in when you put in the eggs, herbs and onion. I’ve made a note in the recipes; thanks.
I’ll have to check the Sunflower closer to me; I’m south off Orchard Road…but thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!
loving this idea. i know this post is a year old, but it was just highlighted on thekitchn, so expect some comments! any idea where i can buy bottles like that? thanks!
Well, this will never go out of style! Actually making again this year…just not shipping it all off. It’s mine this time!
I’ve picked up bottles like that at Sur La Table.
I found these bottles last year at The Container Store; I haven’t been there yet this year but they usually have a lot of interesting bottles to use for packaging like this.
This looks amazing…hope I can still find some cranberries. Could I use frozen?
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