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Well, here we are, the end of 2017, we hope you all had an incredible year! What a better way to wrap up 2017 than with fun New Year’s Eve cocktails? We are showcasing 3 different cocktails in this series, a Mango Kombucha Margarita, an Apple Cider Moscow Mule, and this Cranberry & Orange Cocktail. All can be made alcohol free, if you so choose, so everybody can get in on the fun!
This fruity Cranberry & Orange cocktail is sure to be a crowd pleaser at your New Year’s Eve gatherings this year! Freshly squeezed orange mixed with the tart goodness of cranberry, a heap of ginger beer, and the smooth flavor of rum makes for the perfect celebratory libation.
The idea for this cocktail came to us on Thanksgiving. Our friend Russell brought over some fermented cranberries intended for a salad, but things didn’t go as planned. The cranberries over fermented, so instead, we combined the cranberry syrup with tangerine La Croix and a bit of rum, and the result impressed us all. We made a few tweaks for this version, but we promise it’s magical!
I also wanted to share that in order to cut down on the cost of our cocktail, we purchased all of our ingredients at our local Whole Foods Market 365— if you have one local to you, I definitely recommend you check it out! They have fresh, quality ingredients at affordable prices and really help us out to cut down our grocery costs. If you haven’t already checked out our holiday dinner menu with all of the fixings for under $40 that we made in partnership with them — check it out here!
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our cocktails for the new year, we love to see your photos!
Cranberry & Orange Cocktail
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 cocktails 1x
Description
The perfect new years eve cocktail! Fresh squeezed orange juice paired with smooth dark rum, cranberry reduction, and a splash of ginger beer make for the perfect celebratory libation!
Ingredients
Cranberry reduction
- 1 cup cranberry
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Cranberry orange cocktail
- 2 ounces cranberry reduction
- 8 ounces ginger beer
- 2 ounces rum
- 1 fresh orange
Instructions
- For the reduction: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberry juice and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until mixture is reduced to 1/3 of its size. You will know when it is done when it turns into the consistency of a thick syrup. If the reduction is too thick, add in 1/4 cup of water to loosen it a bit. Remove from heat and cool completely. Pour into a jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Pour the ingredients into a shaker with ice cubes and shake well.
- Strain the cocktail into two glasses with ice and wedge of fresh orange into each glass.
- Garnish with a slice of orange and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
