Cranberry Martini
This festive Cranberry Martini is an elegant cocktail to serve during the holidays. Made with my Cranberry Simple Syrup, this delicious and sophisticated 3 ingredient cocktail gets dressed up with a garnish of sugared cranberries. It’s not overly sweet and has just the right amount of cranberry tang. The perfect apéritif for the holiday season!
To learn how to make this beautiful cocktail recipe, see the printable recipe card below. Take a look at the recipe video, or get Step by Step Instructions for a more detailed explanation of this recipe. For other recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in this recipe’s Blog Comments & Tips.
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RECIPE
(Check out our Step by Step Instructions below the recipe card.)
CRANBERRY MARTINI
Ingredients
Instructions
- Coat cranberries in the syrup, and allow to dry for 1 hour on a sheet of parchment paper (see Note #1).
- Coat sticky berries in sugar, and allow to dry on clean parchment paper for at least 30 minutes.
- Using a sharp cocktail pick, carefully skewer the dry sugared berries, and set aside.
- Spread sugar onto a small plate (enough to cover the bottom). Onto another small plate, pour lemon juice (or water), and swirl around to cover most of the plate. First dip the rim of an 8 ounce martini glass (see Note #2) into the lemon juice. Then dip the rim into the sugar, twist, lift, and tap the glass to remove any excess sugar. Refrigerate glass until ready to use (at least 15 minutes).
- Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice cubes. Add vodka, Cranberry Simple Syrup, and lemon juice. Cover, and shake vigorously.
- Using a small fine mesh strainer (or bar strainer), double strain the cocktail into the chilled sugar rimmed martini glass, and garnish with the prepared cocktail pick. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Notes
- For details on how to make sugared cranberries, see the Step by Step Instructions for this recipe on the website. If you are entertaining and making multiple martinis, sugared berries can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator a few hours in advance.
- A 6 ounce martini glass would work as well. The 8 ounce glass helps prevent the martini from spilling.
- For make ahead Instructions for entertaining a crowd, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips for this website recipe.
- Makes one 5 ounce serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
278.81Fat (grams)
0.02Sat. Fat (grams)
0Carbs (grams)
22.46Fiber (grams)
0.02Net carbs
22.44Sugar (grams)
22.15Protein (grams)
0.03Sodium (milligrams)
18.33Cholesterol (grams)
0Nutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods. Sugar Rim and Optional Sugared Cranberry Garnish are not included in the nutritional calculations.
Step by Step Instructions
PREPARATION
Organize all your tools and ingredients before you begin. Getting all your ingredients in one place at the beginning will shorten your prep time.
Optional Garnish
STEP 1
Quick method to making sugared cranberries: Add 2 tablespoons Cranberry Simple Syrup to a very small glass bowl. Drop the cranberries into the syrup, and using a spoon, coat them with the syrup (see Note below). Place the coated berries on a sheet of parchment paper, and allow to dry for about 1 hour (they will become sticky after resting).
Note: After coating the cranberries, you can use the remaining Cranberry Simple Syrup for the cocktail mixture.
STEP 2
Drop the berries into the glass bowl with sugar, and spoon the sugar over the berries to coat. Place the sugared berries onto clean parchment paper, and allow to dry for at least 30 minutes.
STEP 3
Using a sharp cocktail pick, carefully skewer the dry sugared berries, and set aside.
Note: For make ahead Instructions for entertaining a crowd, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips for this website recipe.
Sugar Rim
STEP 1
To make the sugar rim, spread 2 tablespoons granulated sugar onto a small plate (enough to cover the bottom). Onto another small plate, pour 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or water), and swirl around to cover most of the plate. First dip the rim of an 8 ounce martini glass (see Note below) into the lemon juice. Then dip the rim into the sugar, twist, lift, and gently tap the glass to remove any excess sugar. Refrigerate glass until ready to use (at least 15 minutes).
Note: A 6 ounce martini glass would work as well. The 8 ounce glass helps prevent the martini from spilling.
Cocktail
STEP 1
Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice cubes. Add 3 ounces vodka, 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice, and 1 ½ tablespoons Cranberry Simple Syrup. Cover, and shake vigorously.
STEP 2
Using a small fine mesh strainer (or bar strainer), double strain the cocktail into the chilled sugar rimmed martini glass.
SERVING
Garnish with the prepared cocktail pick, serve, and enjoy!
Notes:
For make ahead Instructions for entertaining a crowd, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
Makes one 5 ounce serving.
VIDEO
How to Make a Cranberry Martini!
Blog Comments & Tips
An elegant & festive cocktail for the holidays!
This Cranberry Martini is a serious libation, with just enough sweetness and tartness to make it a little festive. This 3 ingredient cocktail is quick and easy, and can be made ahead of time if you are entertaining.
Using my Cranberry Simple Syrup recipe to sweeten this cocktail, you can really make it as sweet or as tart as you like. I have found the balance in this cocktail recipe to be just perfect. The sugared cranberries and sugar rim make this drink the perfect cocktail for the holiday season. Whether you are serving this Cranberry Martini on Thanksgiving, at one of your holiday parties, for Christmas, or on New Year’s Eve, it’s an elegant and delightful cocktail that will impress your guests.
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 3 tips to making a delicious Cranberry Martini:
Use a high quality vodka & fresh squeezed lemon juice. I used Kettle One vodka for this recipe, but it’s even smoother with Belvedere vodka, and crisper with Grey Goose vodka.
Make the Cranberry Simple Syrup recipe at least one week ahead, and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. It can be used for more than this cocktail, and will come in handy for the holidays.
If you want a striking cocktail, don’t skip the sugar rim. It takes less than 1 minute to make, and adds some sweetness to every sip. The sugared cranberries can also be made ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days.
It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Less Sweet: Use 1 tablespoon Cranberry Simple Syrup instead.
Make it Sweeter: Add 1 ounce of Cranberry Simple Syrup (that’s 2 tablespoons), or to taste. And, don’t skip the sugar rim!
Make Ahead Instructions for Entertaining: If you are entertaining and making multiple martinis, sugared berries can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator a few hours in advance (even up to a few days!). A few hours before, make the sugar rims, and set them aside. You can increase the cocktail by the number of servings you’ll need, then add vodka, Cranberry Simple Syrup, and lemon juice to a pitcher. Stir, cover, and refrigerate. As guests arrive, stir the pitcher, then add 4 ounces of the cocktail mixture per serving to an ice filled cocktail shaker, shake vigorously, and pour. You can shake up to two servings at a time in one cocktail shaker.
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Pimp My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Santé!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to chill the martini glasses for at least 15 minutes prior to pouring the cocktail.
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