Toast The Holidays With A “Crantini”

It’s obvious to me that seasonal cranberries and the popular martini are a marriage made in cocktail heaven. The Cranberry Martini, or Crantini, makes holiday gatherings special. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, everyone should be toasting with them instead of the same old Bloody Marys and Appletinis.

The Cranberry Martini, a.k.a. Crantini, is a simple variation of a Cosmopolitan, which combines vodka, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice. The Cranberry Martini recipe leaves out the last two ingredients.

Ingredients Per Cocktail

•  2 ounces vodka or gin 
•  1/2 to 1 ounce vermouth (optional) 
• 1/2 ounce cranberry liqueur or 2 ounces cranberry juice 
•   Fresh, frozen or dried cranberries for garnish

 

Pour the first three ingredients into a cocktail shaker or mixing glass with 2 ice cubes. Shake for 10 seconds and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Float 3 cranberries for garnish.

Or you can make your own Cranberry Infused Vodka. There are lots of recipes on the world wide web, but this one is my favorite. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s super easy.

Cranberry Infused Vodka Recipe

1 pound of fresh cranberries
1 bottle Vodka (750 ml)

• Place cranberries in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.  
• Combine vodka & cranberries. Cover and let stand for 2 weeks. 
• Strain off the solids with a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids. 
• Transfer into sterile, airtight container and store in refrigerator.

This could make a great DIY gift if given in a fancy bottle!

Cheers!

~Angee Billingsley
Creative Director, LBDC