This Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz is a festive and bubbly recipe, which is made with fresh cranberries and a homemade blood orange syrup. It’s the perfect holiday cocktail, ready in about 15 minutes, plus chilling time.
Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 8 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen (2 cups)
- 1 blood orange, quartered and cut into ¼-inch slices, plus more slices for serving
- 8 ounces vodka, chilled
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 16 ounces ginger beer, chilled
- Crushed ice and fresh mint leaves, for serving
How To Make Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz
- Make the cranberry blood-orange syrup: In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, cranberries, orange slices, and 1/2 cup of water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the cranberries just start to burst.
- Chill the syrup: Remove the pan from the heat and let the syrup cool completely. Once cool, remove and discard the cooked orange slices. Refrigerate the syrup until it’s cold, for at least 1 hour.
- Assemble the spritz: In a large pitcher, combine the chilled cranberry blood-orange syrup, the chilled vodka, and the fresh lime juice.
- Serve: Just before serving, stir in the chilled ginger beer. Pour the spritz into glasses filled with crushed ice. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and fresh blood orange slices.
Recipe Tips
- How to make this non-alcoholic? To make a delicious mocktail version, simply omit the vodka. The combination of the sweet-tart syrup, lime juice, and spicy ginger beer is still a wonderful and festive drink on its own.
- Can I make the syrup ahead of time? Absolutely. This is a perfect make-ahead cocktail. The cranberry blood-orange syrup can be made up to one week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Can I use a different type of orange? Yes. If you can’t find blood oranges, a regular navel orange or a tangerine will also work well to provide a sweet citrus flavor.
- What’s the best way to serve this for a party? Mix the syrup, vodka, and lime juice in a pitcher ahead of time. When guests arrive, pour this base into ice-filled glasses and top each one individually with the chilled ginger beer to ensure maximum fizziness.
What To Serve With a Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz
This festive cocktail is a perfect aperitif and pairs wonderfully with holiday appetizers.
- A simple cheese board with baked brie and crackers
- Salty snacks like mixed nuts or olives
- Small bites like prosciutto-wrapped melon or shrimp cocktail
- Mini sausage rolls or pigs in a blanket
How To Store a Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz
- Refrigerate: The finished spritz is best enjoyed immediately while it is bubbly. The cranberry syrup base (without the ginger beer) can be stored in a covered pitcher in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Sugar: 32g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
It has a wonderful balance of sweet and tart. The sweetness of the syrup and the sugar is balanced by the tartness of the cranberries and the fresh lime juice, as well as the spicy kick from the ginger beer.
Yes, this recipe would also work well with fresh or frozen raspberries for a different flavor profile.
Ginger beer is brewed and fermented, which gives it a much stronger, spicier ginger flavor than ginger ale, which is essentially a ginger-flavored soda. For the best flavor in this spritz, ginger beer is highly recommended.
Try More Recipes:
Cranberry Blood-Orange Spritz Recipe
Description
A festive and refreshing vodka spritz with a sweet-tart homemade cranberry and blood orange syrup, topped with spicy ginger beer.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Syrup: In a saucepan, cook the sugar, cranberries, orange slices, and ½ cup of water for about 5 minutes, until the cranberries start to burst.
- Cool the syrup completely, then remove and discard the orange slices. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Assemble: In a large pitcher, combine the chilled syrup, vodka, and lime juice.
- Serve: Just before serving, stir in the chilled ginger beer.
- Pour into glasses filled with crushed ice and garnish with fresh mint and orange slices.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use a good quality, spicy ginger beer.
- This is a perfect batch cocktail for a holiday party or gathering.
- Don’t add the ginger beer until the very last minute to ensure the drink is perfectly bubbly.
- The homemade syrup can be used for many other things, like sweetening iced tea or drizzling over ice cream.