Christmas wouldn’t be the same without cranberries. But don’t just think of them in terms of sauce with your turkey. This homemade cranberry and orange gin liqueur is the perfect festive tipple, sweet and tangy with a hint of spice too..
Christmas and cranberries go together like peas and carrots as Forrest Gump would say.
I love using cranberries in everything from sauces to jams and marmalades and I love using Gin in lots of things too, sometimes even drink the stuff!
This simple Christmas Cranberry Gin is a great addition to your foodie gifts for Christmas this year not just for your own cocktail cabinet.
Cranberries
Cranberries, those rich red jewels that herald winter. For Americans it’s all about Thanksgiving dinner, but for us Brits the cranberry means one thing, Christmas dinner!
Actually they also look pretty good strung up with popcorn as garlands on the Christmas tree, but back to edible thoughts…..
Can I use fresh or frozen?
You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for this cranberry gin recipe.
Ingredients for cranberry gin liqueur
Not a lot really, it’s all about the spices in this Christmas Cranberry Gin recipe.
You will need a bottle of gin, a cinnamon stick, star anise, allspice berries, some chopped and peeled fresh ginger (not the dried ground stuff please), zest of half an orange and sugar.
Don’t forget the cranberries.
The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make cranberry gin liqueur
Break those spices up a bit to release their flavours, use a pestle and mortar to break up the allspice berries and star anise and snap that cinnamon stick.
Peel and chop the ginger and add the strips of orange zest and then place everything in a large jar and add the cranberries.
Using a potato masher get in there and break up those berries (you can also pierce them with a skewer), again this is to release their flavour into the liqueur.
Add the sugar and then pour over the gin, pop on the lid and shake the jar well, release your inner Tom Cruise a la Cocktail movie and let rip!
Set it aside in a cupboard and shake every day for a week.
Strain the liqueur through a double layer of either cheesecloth/muslin or kitchen paper/jay cloth. Decant into sterilised bottles and you are finished.
How long will this homemade liqueur keep?
Your Christmas Cranberry and Orange Gin will keep for up to a year.
How to serve cranberry and orange gin liqueur
Since this is a liqueur you can just serve it as a little shot either with or without ice.
Try chilling a bottle of cranberry gin in the freezer so it is icy cold when you serve it, like schnapps really.
Use your gin liqueur as the basis for a lovely festive cocktail.
Cheers!
PS Save those cranberries to make Cranberry Gin Jam.
This recipe makes a great foodie gift, so why not check out my post on how to make Christmas hampers.
Looking for more creative cranberry recipes? Then check these out before you go;
Cranberry and orange marmalade
Refined sugar-free Cranbery Relish
Christmas Cranberry and Orange Curd
Want more homemade liqueur recipes? Then head over to Homemade Liqueurs & Infusions for lots of boozy inspiration.
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Christmas cranberry and orange gin liqueur
Ingredients
- 750 ml bottle gin
- 450 g cranberries
- 1/2 zest of half an orange in strips
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 3 allspice berries
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 175 g sugar
Instructions
- Break up the spices and place in a large jar
- Add the cranberries and mash with potato masher to break them up or pierce with skewer
- Add the strips of orange zest
- Add sugar and gin and put on lid and shake well
- Put in dark cupboard for 1 week shaking every day
- Pour through double layer of muslin or 2 kitchen paper towels and decant into sterilised bottles
I’ve made some of yours liqueurs and they’ve been great, I’d like to try this one too. I have a bottle of M&S elderflower gin liquor, can I use this to make the cranberry and orange one.
Hi Audrey
Yes you could use that gin, you’ll be adding the flavour of elderfower which should add a nice light note to the cranberry and orange flacvours. However, the M&S gin is a liqueur itself so don’t use any sugar!
K
Do you cook the cranberries first or use the hard raw berries?
Hi debbi
No cranberries are raw just follow the recipe.
K
Can I use ground Allspice in place of Allspice berries. I’m struggling to find the berries.
hi Sharon
Yiou could use ground allspice but watch you filter it well to avoid getting the powder showing in the finished liqueur.
K
I can’t find fresh or frozen cranberries, can I use dried?
Hi Isabel
I’ve tried this using dried cranberries and they soak up all the booze leaving you with very little in the way of a liqueur so I wouldn;t advise using them.
K
I made this with Vodka as I didn’t have gin. Wowser we loved it. Need to make some more for Christmas now .
I used the cranberries after to make the cranberry, orange marmalade as I don’t like waste. This has gone down really well too.
Many thanks for the easy recipes.
Hi Nikki
So glad you liked the recipe so much, yes works just as well with vodka, glad you used the fruit to make marmalade too.
K