Christmas party preparation – recipies

December 3, 2020

Next week is our last class this term so we will be having our party. As I can’t be there in person to mix the drinks you will need to do your own. Hopefully some of you have had a go at making the cranberry liqueur I have and will be using that as the base of the alcoholic options. I have written this recipe to be deliberately vague, I am hoping as many people as possible can get close to it. I will tell you the general shape which is the same with alcohol or not then give you the specific combinations I have tested.

• 2 parts cranberry
• 1 part orange
• pinch of spice
• lemon juice (optional see below)
• garnish – slice of orange and cinnamon stick

For the alcoholic version I used the spiced cranberry liqueur and Cointreau as the cranberry and orange. Other orange drinks will work and I have plans to try this with Martini fiero too. I think that will be fantastic in this. As my cranberry liqueur wasn’t as spiced as I wanted I added half a teaspoon of cinnamon honey, cinnamon syrup would work or maybe even a cinnamon vodka. If you add honey or a sugar syrup you will need to add as much lemon juice as sweetness, unless you like very sweet drinks. This is the exact recipe I used,

• 50ml cranberry liqueur
• 25ml Cointreau
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

I put all of that into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker maybe a sports drink bottle or a tupperware type container would work instead, we are trying to get the drink really cold and add just a small amount of water. Serve in a glass (I think a martini glass or coupe is ideal) with a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick.

For the non alcoholic version I went for an unsweetened cranberry juice and a orange juice. I saw no reason to buy anything fancy just what was cheap we are going to be adding flavour to this so the base is a lot less critical. Again I used the cinnamon honey (it’s just honey mixed with a lot for cinnamon) as I was only making one portion. If I were making a larger batch I would use mulling spices instead and let this sit to infuse for longer. For my one (large) mug I used

• 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon honey
• 2 slices of orange
• 1 stick of cinnamon

I put all of these into a small saucepan and heated slowly. if patient allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes, I only managed 5 but it was still reasonably infused. I just poured it all into a mug no need for new garnishes Lazy I know but waste not want not.

I should say I am not a huge cranberry fan, but I have really enjoyed all these options. I did try the cranberry liqueur in orange juice, it works, not as good in my opinion but works. I suspect orange liqueur with cranberry juice would also work. Having the combination of flavours with the spice is the key element. For those who aren’t fans of cinnamon, try a slice of fresh ginger. Also festive if a different flavour. I hope you will give this a go and let me know if you liked it and what I could try in future. I am enjoying designing drinks and love new ideas.