How to Make Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup for Holiday Drinks
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Give your holiday cocktails and sodas a little festive flair with this homemade cranberry simple syrup recipe! This version uses fresh cranberries, fresh orange peel, and spices for a timeless flavor.
If you’re a fan of all things cranberry, don’t miss this Cranberry Apple Crisp! It’s one of my favorite recipes on the blog and tastes amazing with a little maple whipped cream.
I love working with seasonal produce! It’s so much fun to take what’s available and find new ways to use it. This cranberry syrup recipe is such an easy project, but it can be used in so many different ways. It’s a great option to serve at your holiday party or any seasonal gathering!
What is cranberry simple syrup?
This is a traditional simple syrup infused with fresh cranberries, spices, and orange for an extra level of flavor. It has the bold red color from the cranberries and a lovely sweet, citrusy flavor with notes of warm spices.
It can be used to make homemade sodas, cranberry lemonade, or cocktails and bakers, it’d be delicious brushed onto your cake layers!
Why you’ll love this cranberry simple syrup recipe
Equipment
To make this homemade simple syrup, you just need:
- Medium saucepan
- Food processor or cutting board and knife
- Wooden spoon
- Fine mesh sieve
- Funnel
- Airtight container (bottle or mason jar)
Ingredients
- Cranberries: You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries for this cranberry spice syrup. If you’re using fresh, be sure to pick out any soft or old berries.
- Sugar: Plain simple syrup is made with an equal ratio of sugar and water. Keep it simple with regular white sugar.
- Fresh orange zest: Either use a zester to grate off the peel or use a paring knife to remove a strip of the peel. Avoid the bitter pith as much as possible.
- Spices: I added a cinnamon stick, some cardamom pods, and a few allspice berries for a really festive syrup.
How to Make Cranberry Simple Syrup
- Pulse or chop the cranberries into fine pieces.
- Add ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool in the pan until it reaches room temperature (usually about an hour).
- Strain and store in an airtight glass bottle or jar.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 weeks.
Storing
Homemade simple syrups should be stored in the fridge to keep them fresh, especially when they contain fresh fruit like this super-easy cranberry syrup. It’ll last for approximately 2-3 weeks this way.
How to Use Cranberry Simple Syrup
Use this simple cranberry syrup anytime you want to add a little seasonal flavor to your Christmas cocktails or drinks! You’ll typically add about 1-2 ounces per drink, but start with one, taste, and adjust until your drink tastes just right.
I like to serve this in a homemade soda with a little seltzer water and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. You could easily add a shot of vodka, gin, or bourbon if you’d like!
Cranberry Simple Syrup Cocktails
You can also try adding this syrup to your favorite classic cocktail, like these options:
- This Cranberry Lemon Drop Martini is a great option for people who love lots of citrus in their cocktails.
- Try these Cranberry Mimosas for a fun twist on the brunch classic. They’re fantastic for a Christmas brunch!
- Give your next margarita a little holiday flair! The tart flavor of cranberries tastes wonderful with tequila in these Cranberry Margaritas.
- Enjoy a Spiced Cranberry Old Fashioned for lots of bold, seasonal flavors.
- If you like old-fashioned cocktails, you’ll love this colorful Cranberry Gin Fizz!
- Cranberry is a great counterpoint to spicy ginger and tart lime in this Cranberry Moscow Mule.
Tips & Variations
- Add more spices. This mixture can take even more spices! Add 1-3 whole cloves, 1-2 star anise, a few black peppercorns, etc. At a bare minimum, I’d add a cinnamon stick.
- Make a double batch. If you want to make a lot of syrup for an event, you can easily double or triple this recipe.
- Bottle it up. This would be a sweet little homemade gift to share with a host at a holiday party! Add it to a glass bottle and add a handmade label.
- Give it some heat. Feel free to simmer 1-2 coins of fresh ginger for a bright heat.
- Add herbs. Add a sprig of fresh sage, rosemary, or mint for an extra layer of flavor. Great for cocktails!
FAQs
Although they’re both sweetened cranberry drinks, they’re a little different. Cranberry juice is usually made by heating cranberries in water with sugar, which is similar to making syrup. However, the syrup has a much more concentrated flavor, so you can add just a little for a lot of flavor.
Yep! I love freezing cranberries. They’re so easy to add to different recipes, and they’re especially perfect for making this cranberry sugar syrup.
When you see the mixture in the pan, you’ll definitely think there isn’t enough water. The cranberries will cook down, though, and give the whole mixture a really saucy appearance. A traditional simple syrup uses equal proportions of sugar and water, which this recipe follows. You can add more water, but you won’t exactly have a simple syrup, and the cranberry flavor will end up being a bit more diluted.
Related Recipes
- Blueberry Syrup for Cocktails
- Earl Grey Syrup
- Cardamom Simple Syrup
- Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
- Jalapeno Simple Syrup
Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 small food processor (or a cutting board and knife)
- 1 Medium saucepan
- 1 funnel
- 1 airtight container
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 cardamom pods
- 3-4 allspice berries
- 1 orange zest
Instructions
- Pulse or chop the cranberries into fine pieces.
- Add ingredients together in a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool in the pan until it reaches room temperature (usually about an hour).
- Strain and store in an airtight glass bottle or jar. Store in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 weeks.
