Name: Cranberry Whiskey Sour
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup maple syrup; 2 cups fresh cranberries; Zest 1 orange; 8 ounces (1 cup) bourbon; 2 ounces (1/4 cup) lemon juice; 2 ounces (1/4 cup) lime juice; 1 cup 100% cranberry juice; Orange slices, for garnish

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This Cranberry Whiskey Sour is made with a homemade cranberry simple syrup, oranges, lemons, limes, cranberry juice and whiskey.

This is one of my favorite drinks to make every Thanksgiving, although let’s be real it works for most days. I like to garnish with orange slices and rosemary sprigs. This easy cocktail is perfectly balanced, amazingly tart, and so easy to make. This recipe requires to make a cranberry simple syrup using maple syrup and fresh cranberries.

You can drink this for a nice brunch or evening cocktails. whiskey is one of my favorite spirits and I usually don’t order an overly sweet cocktail as, let’s face it, causes my worst hangovers. This is only sweetened with maple syrup, and being a natural sweetener, I feel great the next day!

Feel free to pair this Cranberry Whiskey Sour with my Pork Birria Tacos or my Cream Cheese stuffed Poblano Peppers.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Top tip
Cranberry Whiskey Sour
Food safety

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Maple syrup
Fresh cranberries
Orange
Bourbon
Lemon juice
Lime juice
Cranberry juice

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

In a medium pot, bring ½ cup water, the maple syrup and cranberries to boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, until the cranberries begin to burst.

Then remove and stir in the orange zest. Add additional water if next to be thinner. In a jar, add the cranberry simple syrup.

Add in the lemon juice, cranberry juice and stir.

Add ice into small whiskey glasses and serve. Garnish with orange slices.

Substitutions

Maple Syrup: You can use maple syrup or simple syrup. You can make simple syrup by boiling equal parts water and sugar.
Cranberries: The cranberries need to be fresh to make the cranberry simple syrup.
Orange: You will need a fresh orange for its zest and to garnish.
Lemon Juice: For best taste, use the juice from fresh lemons, although you can use store bought lemon juice.
Lime juice: For best taste, use the juice from fresh limes, although you can use store bought lime juice.
Cranberry Juice: You need to use 100% cranberry juice, do not opt for cranberry juice cocktail.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

Deluxe - add other berries into the cranberry syrup for different variations.
Kid friendly - omit the bourbon and make this a virgin cranberry cocktail.

Check out these Stuffed Anaheim Peppers to pair with this.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

Make the syrup first before putting everything else together.