Cranberry Infused Vodka
This cranberry-infused vodka recipe stands out for several compelling reasons. It offers a delightful blend of flavors, boasting a delicious and vibrant taste that adds color and zesty cranberry tang to any drink. Ideal for crafting stunning cocktails, this infusion enhances classics and inspires new creations with its fresh, fruity notes. It is a visually appealing addition to your bar. It brings a unique twist to your beverage lineup, perfect for holiday gatherings, summer parties, or simply elevating your everyday cocktail experience.
Isn’t this cranberry infused vodka a thing of beauty? Just imagine drinking a delicious cocktail using this vodka! Not only is it slightly tart, but the beautiful color makes for a gorgeous beverage.
Now imagine wrapping a bottle filled with this cranberry infused vodka in holiday paper and gifting it to a vodka-loving loved one in December. You’ll be so happy to see the excited look on their face as they unwrap it and delight in receiving such a caring gift from you.
See? There are many reasons why you should make this cranberry infused vodka yourself!
I usually make a cranberry martini with this infused vodka.
Helpful tips
- Do not think you have to sweeten this cranberry infused vodka. There is absolutely no reason to do so. The mistake that people make is thinking that just because cranberries are tart, they need to balance them out in the vodka instead of when adding sweetener to the cocktail that you will make with it. See the difference?
- Use the freshest cranberries you can find.
- Use a food processor but only process 3/4 of the cranberries, leave the rest whole.
- Do not eat the cranberries after they’ve been soaking in vodka because all you will taste is vodka.
- You don’t need to use premium vodka, though you can. I use Absolute as it is a solid budget brand.
- Buy some fine mesh cheesecloth to strain the cranberries out of the vodka.
- If you don’t have cheesecloth, a non-bleached coffee filter will work, although it will take longer for the vodka to strain through the filter. You could also use a sturdy paper towel, but I wouldn’t recommend it as most paper towels are bleached to make them white.
- Getting a fine mesh strainer is also a good alternative.
How to make cranberry infused vodka
Step one
Gather the cranberries, vodka, and a jar. (A)
Step two
Place 3/4 of the cranberries in a food processor and roughly pulse them. (B)
Step three
Scrape chopped cranberries and whole cranberries in a large jar (C)
Step four
Pour vodka over the cranberries in the jar (D)
Step five
Once the vodka and cranberries are in the jar, you can already start to see the color leaching into the vodka (C)
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Step six
Use a long wooden spoon to stir the cranberries and vodka or cap the jar and give it a little shake. You can see that stirring the vodka causes more color from the cranberries to infuse it (D)
Step seven
Cap the jar and place it on a shelf somewhere. Some people store it in a cool dark place like a pantry, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I just kept the jar on our dining room table, to remind me to give it a stir
Step eight
Stir the cranberry-infused vodka every day for a week. (G)
The following photo was taken after a week. Look at how vibrant the color is!
Step nine
Cover a sieve with some cheesecloth and pour the contents of the jar into the sieve. (H)
Step ten
Throw the cranberries away, then pour the cranberry-infused vodka into a large bottle or a few jars.
Perfect!
What will you do with the cranberry infused vodka when you make it? Keep it for yourself or gift it? Both are great ideas.
The other cocktail infusions
And as always, may all your dishes/drinks be delish!
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Cranberry Infused Vodka
Ingredients
- 4 cups cranberries (fresh)
- 4 cups vodka (I used Absolute)
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse 3 cups of cranberries until they are big chunks4 cups cranberries
- Place chunked cranberries and whole cranberries in a big jar and pour vodka into the jar over the cranberries4 cups vodka
- Cap the jar and give it a good shake. Store on the counter and shake every day for seven days.
- Line a strainer or sieve with cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the contents of the jar over the sieve and throw away the cranberries
- Pour cranberry infused vodka in a large bottle with a lid or smaller jars with lids
- Gift or keep for yourself. Smile, and enjoy.
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Helpful tips
-
- Do not think you have to sweeten this cranberry infused vodka. There is absolutely no reason to do so. The mistake that people make is thinking that just because cranberries are tart, they need to balance them out in the vodka instead of when adding sweetener to the cocktail that you will make with it. See the difference?
- Use the freshest cranberries you can find.
- Use a food processor but only process 3/4 of the cranberries, leave the rest whole.
- Do not eat the cranberries after they’ve been soaking in vodka because all you will taste is vodka.
- You don’t need to use premium vodka, though you can. I use Absolute as it is a solid budget brand.
- Buy some fine mesh cheesecloth to strain the cranberries out of the vodka.
- If you don’t have cheesecloth, a non-bleached coffee filter will work, although it will take longer for the vodka to strain through the filter. You could also use a sturdy paper towel, but I wouldn’t recommend it as most paper towels are bleached to make them white.
- Getting a fine mesh strainer is also a good alternative.
Easy, delicious, and it is gorgeous!
Thank you Rebecca!
I love absolutely everything about this! I always make the ladies of the family cosmos for the holidays and this is PERFECT!
Thanks Jennifer!! Cosmos made with this vodka is awesome!
I made this infused cranberry vodka but added a couple strips of orange peel. I let it sit on the counter for 3 weeks. Beautiful color. Very tart; but as you said, sugar can be added when a drink is made. I improvised and made a drink of 1 part cranberry infused vodka, 1/2 part triple sec, and 1 part OJ, served over ice. Pretty good, but I forgot to garnish. This was very easy to make. I am going to start another batch so that I have some for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Do you have any drink recipes for this vodka to share?
Hi Gayle. Orange peel is a great addition to this infusion. I love the cocktail you made with it! I sometimes make a sea breeze with it. 2 parts cranberry vodka, 1 part cranberry juice and 1 part oj. Other days I’d love to make another drink – 2 parts cran vodka, 2 parts cran juice, juice of 1/2 a lime and 1 ounce oj. Yum. Hope you get more ideas of how to use cranberry infused vodka. Thank you for your comment!
Have you tried making a Vodka tonic with this? The sweetness of the tonic could offset the tartness of the cranberry. It could.be served with a squeeze of lime or even orange.
Yes, Chris! I’ve tried the vodka tonic with the cranberry vodka. It is really tasty and my sister prefers the VT over any other made with this vodka. I did serve it with lime but I’m liking the thought of the orange. Thank you for your comment!
Is there an issue with the fresh cranberries, particularly those at the very top that are not submerged in the vodka, getting moldy or going bad? I’ve just started two batches (one vodka, one gin) and am wondering if perhaps they shouldn’t steep in the fridge. Thanks.
I’ve never had to keep it in the fridge and I’ve had some of the infused vodka’s for months. I have some cherry vodka that I’ve had over a year. I made a HUGE batch and it’s absolutely fine. As regards for the cranberries at the top, I shake the jar every day and it causes all the cranberry pieces to submerge. I hope this answers your question. 🙂
I’m trying this recipe and instead of pulverizing the berries in the food processor I am heating the berries in a sauce pan until they burst, then adding them to the vodka in a jar. Will try to provide an update after this has been sitting for a couple of weeks.
Thanks Paige. I look forward to hearing how it came out with your method.
It seems to have worked well. I put whole, washed cranberries in a sauce pan and turned the heat to medium. After most of the berries had burst, I put them in a large jar and poured an equal amount of vodka over them. After a week in the fridge, I couldn’t find my cheese cloth so I poured it through a mesh strainer to get the big chunks out and then in batches through a paper cone coffee filter. It took a little while as it ran quite slow, but it came out crystal clear and bright pinkish red. I’ll be trying this with ginger beer (a Moscow Reindeer, perhaps?). Cheers!
Yay! I’m glad you tried it. I do love it with ginger beer for sure. Thanks for your comment Paige.
I LOVE this! Super easy recipe and so pretty! I get great remarks from the guests I serve it to.
I’m so happy to hear that, Nancy! It so flavorful and fun in cocktails. Thanks for letting me know.
How far in advance can you make this for the holidays? Looking to make it this year 2024.
These infused vodkas can be kept for at least a year, if not longer, so it’s fine to make it now, Pam. Sorry, I didn’t see this earlier. Good luck.
Awesome! No worries I didn’t get back to this. Usually people say a few months, so I’m starting my gift planning for this month 🙂 Perfect. So excited for this!
Thank you.Because this looks slow and easy. I can’t wait for a week or 2. Have this delicious drink for the holidays
I might give it to a friend if there’s any leftover.
That sounds great, Leanne. People always love the infusions as gifts. I hope you enjoy it as well!