Cranberry Gin Cocktail

This Cranberry Gin Cocktail recipe is vibrant in color, citrusy, sweet and ever so slightly floral. Made with a few standard bar ingredients including orange liqueur, lemon juice and cranberry juice, it’s and easy and elegant cocktail for all kinds of occasions. Serve this however you like whether that’s up in a martini glass or in a rocks glass over ice.

Why You’ll Love This Cocktail

For starters, this cocktail recipe is made with Empress Gin which is made with a variety of botanicals (including butterfly pea blossoms which give it an indigo hue) to create a lovely balance of tea and juniper flavors.

Aside from it’s lovely blue color, Empress Gin is known to change colors with the addition of citrus. A dash of lemon juice will turn the blue into a gorgeous purple liquor. To enhance the color (and flavor) even more, we add a splash of cranberry juice, some orange liqueur and a dash of lavender to make the other aromas pop.

Ingredients Needed

Empress Gin is key to this recipe. Though if you don’t have it, you can use a London Dry gin. Look for Empress Gin at your local liquor store in the gin section.

Orange liqueur is a staple home bar ingredient because it’s used in so many cocktails including the Sidecar Cocktail and Corpse Reviver. In this recipe it adds both sweetness and light orange flavor (which pairs wonderfully with the next ingredient).

Cranberry juice adds tartness and color to this cocktail. Make sure you look for 100% cranberry juice or a blend of 100% juice for the best results.

Lemon juice is a key part of this cocktail! Adding brightness and tartness, it’s imperative that you use fresh lemon juice.

Rich simple syrup rounds out the cocktail perfectly. Just a quarter ounce is needed, but it does make a different.

Lavender flowers are optional but add a nice floral note to the cocktail. Muddle just a few small flowers in the shaker before adding in the other ingredients. Then garnish with a light sprinkling of the dried flowers.

How to Make a Rich Simple Syrup

A rich simply syrup is doubly as sweet as a standard simple syrup which is made with 1:1 ratio of sugar to water. For a rich simple syrup use 2:1 ratio of sugar to water.

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature before using.

Store simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

How to Make a Cranberry Gin Cocktail

1. Muddle a few small dried lavender leaves in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add the gin, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and shake to chill.
3. Strain the cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice.
4. Garnish with lavender flowers.

More Gin Cocktail Recipes to Try

• This Limoncello Gin Basil Smash is bursting with fresh flavors. It’s a must-try! We’ve also got a Blackberry Gin Basil Smash which also has a stunning pink-ish purple hue.
• Another STUNNING gin cocktail is our Sloe Gin Fizz. It is truly the best recipe for this classic cocktail.
• If you’re looking for something simple and refreshing, make a Cucumber Gin Gimlet.
• Keep it simple with the Gin Rickey!

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