Cranberry Cocktails | Chic Cranberry cocktails @ In The Spirit
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Our feature this month focuses on one of our favourite cocktail flavours – cranberry! This theme gives us the perfect opportunity to introduce you all to a fabulous new Cranberry liqueur from De Kuyper together with some brand new cocktail ideas for you to try out. As if that wasn’t enough, we have included some fantastic reminders of cocktail recipes which all have cranberry juice as one of their main ingredients.

Cranberry is such a popular flavour for so many cocktails because of its taste and versatility as well as giving such a vivid colour to any cocktail recipe – why not try out some of our ideas and see what you think?

So where do cranberries come from?

The cranberry is a native fruit of North America. Cranberries were first used by Native Americans who discovered their versatility by using them not only as a food but as dye for fabric and also as a healing agent. Cranberries grow on vine-like plants which grow in wetlands in North America often referred to as “bogs”. These areas are natural bogs evolved from deposits left by glaciers from 10,000 years ago. Evolving over time, these deposits produced the perfect environment for cultivating cranberries. The cranberry vines need to be watered with an inch of water every week. The water then protects the cranberries in the summer from the hot weather and in the winter from frost.

Harvest time for cranberries is often referred to as a “red event”. Amazingly, 90% of the annual crop is done by the “wet harvest” method. This means that the bogs are flooded just prior to the harvest. Then a floating harvester moves gently through the bog, carefully separating the berries from their vines creating a red carpet of cranberries on the surface of the water. The fruit is then meticulously moved to waiting lorries and taken away for processing. Cranberries harvested in this way are used for juice and sauce production.

A “dry harvest” method is used for the remaining 10% of the crop where the berries are picked direct from the vines and then sold through US grocery stores for eating on their own or as delicious flavourings for all types of cakes. Harvest time during mid September to early November allows for fresh cranberries to be in store for American housewives to make their own cranberry sauce in time for Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday of November.

Apparently the cranberry name evolved from German and Dutch settlers in America who called it the “crane berry” as they though the blossoms of the vine resembled a bird known as the “Sandhill crane”. Over time the name was eventually shortened to cranberry. Also don’t forget that cranberries are good for you as they are full of Vitamin C and research shows that drinking cranberry juice regularly can help prevent various infections.

Having hopefully made you feel thirsty to try out our cranberry flavour inspired cocktails – here they are!

Cranberry Kiss

Cranberry KissMade with 2 shots of De Kuyper Cranberry liqueur – the Cranberry Kiss is topped up with an in-the-spirit favourite! – champagne. This is a delicious and classy recipe which is a more up to the minute version of the classic Kir Royale. Hot tip! If you need to watch the pennies and champagne may be a bit expensive – you can use a good quality dry sparkling white wine such as Spanish cava instead of champagne.

In the Pink

In the PinkWhy not feel In the Pink with our next new cocktail recipe? Again this an incredibly uncomplicated blend of De Kuyper Cranberry liqueur together with grapefruit juice to give you a delicious bitter sweet cocktail.

Big Mac Daddy

Big Mac DaddyA Big Mac Daddy is a long drink with a combination of flavours to give you a mouth-watering cocktail. This includes bourbon, Disaronno Amaretto, cranberry juice and ginger ale. Go on – give it a go!

Cape Cooler

Cape Cooler Cape Cooler – this is well loved cocktail which is made from vodka, cranberry juice – then topped up with soda or tonic water for a deliciously long and refreshing drink. NB. In America this cocktail is often referred to as a Cape Codder because Cape Cod in Massachusetts is one of the biggest cranberry growing areas in the country.

Sunburn

SunburnSunburn – this is a cocktail recipe which gives a strong flavour of tequila with tangy-ness of the orange tang of Triple Sec together with the sweetness and colour of cranberry juice makes this a luscious cocktail for you to try out.

As if the above ideas aren’t enough to be going on with, why not check out our Drinks Guide for more information on De Kuyper Cranberry liqueur or search for other cranberry tastic cocktails by clicking here!

in-the-spirit recommends drinking cocktails in moderation.

 
   
 

 

 
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