Cranberry Vanilla Old Fashioned
A festive drink to help celebrate the season, the classic old fashioned cocktail gets a hit of holiday with the addition of a cranberry-vanilla simple syrup. A perfect custom drink to serve at all your holiday gatherings. NOTE: you can replace the cranberries in the simple syrup with the same amount of canned cranberry sauce or a homemade version. Simply cook some cranberry sauce down with water (a 1:1 ratio works well), add a little extra sugar for sweetness, if needed, and then strain and add the vanilla as directed (I make my cranberry simple syrup this way all the time).Â
- Yield: 1 drink
Ingredients
3 ounces favorite bourbon whiskey
1 ounce cranberry simple syrup (see below)
3 shakes Angostura bitters
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For the cranberry simple syrup:
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1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
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Instructions
To make the simple syrup: in a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water, the sugar and cranberries to a gentle boil. Once it’s just boiling, cook for 5 minutes. Strain. Add the vanilla bean paste or extract; stir. Cool completely before serving.
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To make the cocktail: In a high ball glass with ice (or you can make the drink in a shaker and pour over ice), stir together the bourbon, cranberry-vanilla simple syrup, and bitters.Â