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Sparkling Vodka Cranberry Cocktail ina glass

Christmas Cocktail: Rosemary Cranberry Vodka Spritzer

If you’ve been on the hunt for a festive Christmas cocktail, look no further than this refreshing Rosemary Cranberry Vodka Spritzer. Lightly sweet and delectably effervescent, this refreshing adult beverage pairs beautifully with all your festive fare.
5 from 7 votes
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Course: Beverages, Cocktails
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beverage, Cocktail
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 1 Cocktail
Calories: 137kcal
Author: Emily Laurae

Equipment

  • Saucepan
  • Spatula
  • Cocktail Glass
  • Cocktail Shaker

Ingredients
 

Rosemary Simple Syrup

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 sprigs rosemary

Cranberry Vodka Spritzer

  • ice
  • 1.5 oz vodka
  • 3 oz cranberry juice
  • ½ oz rosemary simple syrup
  • sparkling/soda water
  • fresh cranberries and rosemary to garnish

Instructions

Rosemary Simple Syrup

  • Pour your measured water and sugar into a saucepan and heat on medium
    ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup water
  • Cook, stirring the mixture, until your sugar has completely dissolved.
  • Add rosemary and continue heating for 30 seconds before removing from heat
    2 sprigs rosemary
  • Allow syrup to infuse for half an hour as the simple syrup cools completely
  • Strain syrup into an airtight container and cool in the fridge

Cranberry Vodka Spritzer

  • Fill a highball glass ⅔ full with ice.
    ice
  • Add vodka, cranberry juice, rosemary simple syrup into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake.
    1.5 oz vodka, 3 oz cranberry juice, ½ oz rosemary simple syrup
  • Strain into your highball glass and top with sparkling water and garnish with fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary
    sparkling/soda water, fresh cranberries and rosemary to garnish

Notes

Tips & Tricks
  • Why you should shake and strain. While you can technically just mix the cranberry spritzer ingredients together in your highball glass, the results will not be nearly as delicious. The act of vigorously shaking a cocktail with ice is akin to creaming your butter with sugar for making cookies; the ice breaks into small shards and helps to aerate the drink, giving it a lovely, light texture. Straining the spritzer onto fresh ice ensures that it won’t get watered down too quickly.
  • Batching for party time ease. If you’re playing host, I highly recommend batching together the cranberry juice, vodka and simple syrup and placing it in a pitcher or “store and pour” before your guests arrive. Have the batched drink on the bar next to an ice bucket, cocktail shaker, jigger, bottle of sparkling water, and your garnishes and assign your friends to the task of serving themselves while you finish playing elf in the kitchen.
  • Use pure cranberry juice for the brightest flavor. While it is a bit more expensive than the stuff labeled “cranberry juice cocktail,” pure cranberry juice is far more bright, tart, and delicious than the “cocktail” that is usually only about 25% real fruit juice.
  • Grab a squeeze bottle for easy bartending. If you plan on making drinks to order, using a squeeze bottle for the simple syrup will make your life a whole lot easier (and less sticky).
  • What can I use in place of cranberry juice? If cranberries aren’t your thing, I think this would be just as yummy (and seasonally appropriate) using pomegranate juice and pomegranate arils instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
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