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Cranberry Thyme Gin and Tonic

By Adrianna Adarme

5

22

Nov 21, 2023

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This cranberry thyme gin and tonic is the most refreshing holiday cocktail. It’s the perfect effervescent refresher to make if you have cranberries laying around. Serve it with all the creamy mashed potatoes and these fun stuffing muffins.

I grew up with wine being the star of the Thanksgiving table. It was the one time a year when we were allowed a very small glass of wine as teenagers. My fellow American friends always thought that was so strange and awesome, but in South America alcohol and kids isn’t that big of a deal. You give ’em a little sip because it’s a special occasion

Ingredients You Need to Make this Cranberry Thyme Gin and Tonic

1. Cranberries – we’re going to be making a thin cranberry syrup to add into this drink.
2. Orange – We’re using the juice and the zest. You can use the zest in a sugar rim if you like!
3. Gin – use your favorite gin of choice. The few times I’ve made this I’ve used St. George’s Gin and Hendrick’s. Both are delicious.
4. Tonic – I love using a good-quality tonic water. This means they’re using real quinine bark (from Peru) in the tonic (versus a synthetic version). Fever Tree is the brand I prefer to use.

For the rest of the ingredients, please refer below to the recipe card.

How to Make a Cranberry Gin and Tonic

1. Make the cranberry syrup – In a sauce pan, cook the cranberries with the sugar, water, vanilla and orange juice. It’s going to be a much thinner version of cranberry sauce. We want it to be more of a syrup.
2. Strain the cranberry syrup – Run it through a strainer and set it aside.
3. Assemble the cocktail – Add the syrup to a shaker filled with ice. Pour in the gin and shake it up. The recipe below makes two cocktails (that’s how much my shaker can fit). Shake it up and pour it over ice. Top it with a few splashes of gin. And garnish it with thyme.

Tips and Tricks

• How to make this as a batch cocktail – Add the syrup and gin to a pitcher and stick it in the fridge. Serve it with ice and tonic on the side.
• Double the batch for a crowd

What to serve with this Cranberry Thyme Gin and Tonic

I love this cocktail with a holiday, festive feast. Here are some complementary dishes:

• Cranberry Sauce
• Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie
• Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie
• Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese
• Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese

If you tried this Cranberry Thyme Gin and Tonic or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 3 votes

Cranberry Thyme Gin and Tonic

By Adrianna Adarme

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 5 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cocktails

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This cranberry thyme gin and tonic is the most refreshing holiday cocktail. It's the perfect effervescent refresher to make if you have cranberries laying around.

Equipment

• Shaker
• Strainer

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Cranberry Syrup:

• ▢ 1 cup fresh cranberries
• ▢ 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• ▢ 3/4 cup water
• ▢ Splash of orange juice
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cocktail Assembly:

• ▢ Fresh English Thyme leaves
• ▢ Gin of choice, I used St. George
• ▢ Tonic of choice, I used Fever Tree

Instructions 

To Make the Cranberry Syrup:

• Optional: Make a orange zest sugar rim by combining the zest from the orange and 1/2 cup white granulated sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar and add to a small shallow plate. When you slice open the orange, rub the orange around each of the glasses and dip the rim into the sugar mixture.
• In a small saucepan, mix together the cranberries, sugar, water, splash of orange juice and vanilla extract. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, pressing the cranberries with the back of your spoon until they pop (beware–they’ll splatter!). Add the fresh thyme and smash with the back of your spoon–this will release its aromatics. Note: The mixture should be much looser than traditional cranberry sauce. Pour the mixture through a strainer, discarding the solids, and reserving the cranberry syrup.

To Assemble the Cocktails:

• I like to make two at a time (that's usually how much I can fit in my shaker). To the shaker, add ice, 2 fluid ounces of syrup and 4 ounces of gin. Shake it vigorously. Add ice to two glasses and divide the cocktail among the two. Top with tonic. Garnish with a few pieces of thyme. Repeat until you've made as many cocktails as you like.

Notes

To Make a Big Batch Cocktail:

Double the cranberry sauce recipe and add to a large pitcher. Combine with 14 ounces of gin. When you serve the pitcher, be sure to include a bottle of tonic next to it so guests can top each serving off with about 2 ounces of tonic. 

My Favorite Gin Brands: 

Hendricks | St. George | The Botonist Gin | Tanqueray

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

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